Great Britain’s King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, will visit the United States April 27–30 in honor of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
President Trump hailed the visit as a “momentous occasion,” saying, “I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect.”
The President, along with first lady Melania Trump, will host the King and Queen at the White House for a banquet dinner April 28, the day the King will address a joint meeting of Congress. In addition to Washington, the royal couple’s itinerary includes stops in New York City and Virginia, where they will attend a 250th-anniversary celebration of America’s founding.
A ‘special relationship’
The U.S. visit — Charles’ first since becoming Great Britain’s monarch in September 2022 — highlights the two countries’ close relationship, shaped by a common language and culture, similar legal traditions, and long-standing trade and security ties.
The countries share cultural roots that date to the colonial era. Great Britain officially recognized the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution, and the countries established diplomatic relations two years later.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill first described the U.S.-UK bond as a “special relationship” during a March 1946 speech that noted both countries’ importance to global security. “If we persevere together as we did in the two world wars … I cannot doubt that we shall achieve our common purpose” of a safe and prosperous future, he said.
While America honors Churchill with a statue along Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, a statue of U.S. Founding Father George Washington stands in London’s Trafalgar Square.
Gifts honor close ties
Like many Americans, Trump has family roots in the United Kingdom. He speaks fondly of his Scottish-born mother Mary Anne’s reverence for Queen Elizabeth II.
Trump is the only U.S. President granted two British state visits. During his June 2019 visit to the UK, the President and first lady gave Elizabeth a silver and silk poppy brooch. Poppies are worn to honor military veterans on Remembrance Day each November. The Trumps also presented Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, with a personalized Air Force One jacket.
In return, Elizabeth gave Trump a 1959 first edition of Churchill’s book The Second World War and a three-piece pen set. The first lady received a specially commissioned silver box with enamel lid.
During the 2019 London visit, Trump hosted then-Prince Charles at Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. ambassador.
During Trump’s September 2025 state visit to the UK, Charles and Camilla gave the President the Union flag that flew over Buckingham Palace the day of his second inauguration and a leather book celebrating 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Trumps presented Charles with a replica of former President Dwight Eisenhower’s sword. Eisenhower was an honorary British knight for his role as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II, and the gift of the sword serves a reminder of the two nations’ shared defense of freedom.
“Over the generations, British and American warriors have shed their blood side by side in defense of liberty and freedom,” Trump said. “That’s why it’s so imperative that the U.S. and the UK stand together for these fundamental rights and values of the English-speaking world.”
