Two-and-a-half centuries after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III arrived at the White House on Monday with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight.
A shooting at a Washington dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday sparked a last-minute security review of the four-day state visit, intended to celebrate the United States’ 250th anniversary, and the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship.”
Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House South Portico.
Buckingham Palace said the king “is greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.”
A rift between the U.K. government and Trump over issues including the Iran war had already raised the political stakes for the British monarch’s visit.
In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his unwillingness to join U.S. military attacks on Iran, dismissing Britain’s leader as “not Winston Churchill,” the World War II prime minister who coined the phrase “special relationship” for the U.K.-U.S. bond.
It’s part of a wider rift between Trump and the United States’ NATO allies, for not joining action against Iran.
A leaked Pentagon email suggested the U.S. could reassess support for the U.K.’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic. Britain and Argentina fought a 1982 war over the islands, also known as the Islas Malvinas.
