King Charles will meet with US President Donald Trump during his four-day state visit to the US at the end of April, but the two will not engage in a public meeting in the Oval Office
King Charles will not meet with Donald Trump on-camera in the Oval Office, where several world leaders have had showdowns with the US President when meeting in Washington DC.
UK and US relations are at an all-time low and Charles is set to meet with Trump in private during his four-day State Visit. Not hosting a public meeting in the Oval Office will keep off-the-cuff conversations between the two out of the spotlight and firmly in private.
The decisions comes after a string of high-profile world leaders had on-camera run-ins Trump in the Oval Office.
Charles and the US leader will meet in a private tea hours after arrival on Monday, April 27, followed the next day by a one-on-one without journalists or a film crews in The White House.
Charles will publicly speak of “challenges” the US and UK face when he delivers his scripted speech to 535 lawmakers in Congress which will also be broadcast on American television, The Sun reported.
Both Trump and Charles are expected to read prepared speeches at a White House State Dinner.
The State Visit later this month comes after Trump has blasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer ’s response to the US war with Iran. Trump has said he was “not happy with the UK” and added “this is not Winston Churchill we’re dealing with.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has said that the visit was a chance to “reaffirm” and “renew” the special relationship between the two nations and address “challenges together”.
“This is celebrating a partnership between two nations and two peoples.
“It is a relationship that has survived many presidencies and of course many reigns, and will no doubt continue to do so long into the future.”
The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Japan have all had recent run-ins with Trump in the Oval Office.
Ukrainian President Zelensky met with Trump in the Oval Office in April 2025. The hostile meeting was characterised by a heated back-and-forth.
While hosting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz last June, Trump suggested the anniversary of D-Day was “not a pleasant day for you.”
In November, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was subjected to questions about his involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his Oval Office meeting with Trump.
In March of this year, Trump joked about the Pearl Harbor raid by the Japanese on the US in 1941. Sitting opposite Japan‘s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Oval Office, Trump responded after being asked by a journalist why he had not warned allies ahead of initial strikes against Iran in February.
Trump said: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour?”
