King and Queen to visit US as planned despite Washington shooting

The King is set to go ahead with his state visit to the US after security talks between officials on both sides of the Atlantic.

Donald Trump and other senior politicians were evacuated from a Washington press dinner on Saturday night after shots were fired in the hotel venue.

However Buckingham Palace has now confirmed the King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to the US as planned, although it is understood some operational changes will be made to ensure the visit runs smoothly.

A spokesperson for the palace said: ‘Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of Government, we can confirm the state visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned.

‘The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting under way tomorrow.’

The royals are set to arrive in Washington on Monday to commemorate the 250th anniversary of US independence.

Most of their engagements will take place as planned, albeit with some modest tweaks to the trip.

The four-day visit promises to be a landmark moment in what will be King’s most high profile trip of his reign at a time UK-US relations have come under strain.

The latest announcement comes after the PM’s chief secretary Darren Jones said discussions about security arrangements would take place on Sunday.

Following Saturday’s shooting, the King is understood to have personally reached out to the president sharing their sympathy for those present at the event and praising the work of security personnel who ensured no-one at the dinner was injured.

Asked about the King’s visit on Sunday, Trump told reporters: ‘He’s coming and we’re going to have a great time.’

Charles and Trump will first meet tomorrow at a private tea to be captured by cameras.

A state banquet will then take place on Monday evening. Charles will address Congress on Tuesday before travelling on to New York.

The monarch will not be able to meet Epstein survivors, however, due to concerns that it would risk prejudicing active legal proceedings here in the UK, including against his brother Andrew.

However survivors are planning a ‘live art protest’ for when the King and Queen arrive at the White House.

Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna, who co-wrote the Epstein Files Transparency Act is due to host a roundtable the morning Charles is due to deliver his address to Congress.

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