A heavy security presence has been pictured in Washington DC, ahead of King Charles III’s State Visit to the United States. It comes after an assassination attempt on President Trump in the city yesterday. Britain’s ambassador has said “all appropriate security measures” are in place. Sir Christopher Turner said security teams had been planning the trip for weeks before the incident at the White House Correspondents Association, and adjustments are possible.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the visit will “proceed as planned” following talks on both sides of the Atlantic, and the receipt of advice from the Government. Sir Christopher said: “The real point is that our respective security teams have been in close touch for weeks, and any operational changes we have to make, we can make them as we go, and we are all very confident that all appropriate security measures are in place.”
Security teams in the UK and US worked through the night after the incident at the Washington Hilton hotel.
Minor adjustments are to be made to one or two royal engagements during the trip, but the overall plan remains unchanged, it has been reported.
The King and Queen are understood to have reached out privately to Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, to express their sympathies with all those affected on the night, and their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
The royal couple will arrive in Washington on Monday for the four-day visit, which will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The Government also hopes that it will strengthen the “special relationship” between the UK and US, which has been under serious strain in recent months.
Mr Trump has branded the UK’s approach to the Iran war “terrible” and repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir – at one point describing him as “not Winston Churchill”.
Reports have suggested the US could review its position on the Falkland Islands in retaliation for Sir Keir’s lack of support for the war in Iran.
When asked by the BBC if the visit could help repair strained transatlantic relations, the President said: “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.”
