King Charles and Queen Camilla’s highly-anticipated state visit has officially begun.
On Monday afternoon, as the royals touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, they kicked off a four-day trip, hosted by President Donald Trump, that will see the monarchs visit Washington, DC, New York and Virginia, in honor of America’s forthcoming semiquincentennial.
So, what’s on the agenda? After receiving a warm welcome upon landing, Charles and Camilla will head out to a private tea with the president and First Lady Melania Trump before going to a garden party. Come Tuesday, King Charles is scheduled to address Congress. It has been decades since a British monarch has done so, the last time being when Charles’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth delivered an address in May 1991, calling for a united front following the end of the Cold War.
Royal historian Ed Owens recently told Vanity Fair that the state visit will also serve as an opportunity for King Charles to showcase his role as a mediator and statesman, as the relationship between Britain and America has been tested by President Trump’s war on Iran. “[King Charles] can’t talk politics explicitly, or take sides, but he can use his role as a statesman to exercise soft power,” Owens said.
On Tuesday evening, Trump will host a white-tie dinner in honor of the special guests. Then, on Wednesday, King Charles and Queen Camilla will depart Washington for New York City, to visit the 9/11 Memorial. According to Politico, the royals will be joined by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
And on Thursday, the last day of their trip, Charles and Camilla will travel to Virginia, where the king will visit a national park, and together, they will attend an “America at 250” block party.
See all the photos of King Charles and Queen Camilla as they embark on a four-day state visit below.