What to expect from the king’s address to Congress
Since the king’s visit is meant to mark the United States’ 250th anniversary, Charles is likely to speak about the relationship between the two countries, particularly during and after World War II. The king, who plays a different role in the U.K. than does the prime minister and generally isn’t involved in day-to-day governing, may rely greatly on history to inform his speech.
“I expect the speech to be at a rather high-level and my expectation is that it will be somewhat historical — acknowledging the United States came from a revolution against his country, but then how we’ve sort of overcome that,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The question will be, Bergmann said, whether the king hints at issues like human rights and freedoms that the U.S. and U.K. supported together after World War II, and whether the king hints at anything that could be interpreted as a criticism of the current administration.
What to expect from the king’s meeting with Trump
President Trump’s meeting with the king is expected to take place behind closed doors Tuesday morning, away from the eyes of reporters. They may discuss the U.S.’s war with Iran and other international issues, although Bergmann said his “baseline sense is this is going to be kind of a feel-good trip” focused on the historical ties of the two nations.
Still, Charles has a delicate role to play. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mr. Trump’s relationship has been strained amid the war with Iran. Mr. Trump has also criticized immigration policy under Starmer.
“He’s got some fine thread and he has to thread it through a very very fine needle,” Bergmann said of the king.
Bergmann said the president and king may also discuss other concerns of the king, like international nutrition and health aid for poor nations. International aid from the U.S. took a hit with the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Mr. Trump told the BBC last week he thinks the king’s visit could help repair U.S.-U.K. relations.
“Absolutely,” the president told the BBC. “He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.”
Trump and Charles have met before
It’s not clear exactly when they first met, but it was more than two decades ago, when Mr. Trump was a businessman in New York society. Photos show Melania and Donald Trump chatting with Charles at an event at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2005.
More formally, the president and first lady visited with him in the U.K. in 2019, when Charles was still the Prince of Wales. The Trumps visited again in September 2025, attending an elaborate state dinner hosted by the king and queen at Windsor Castle.
“I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” Mr. Trump told the BBC last week. “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man.”
Mr. Trump expressed his sympathy for the king after the king’s brother, Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of public misconduct in office related to revelations from the Epstein files. The king had already stripped Andrew of his royal titles due to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Mr. Trump called the situation with Andrew a “very sad thing.”
Charles’ last official visit to Washington was in 2015, while he was still prince. He and Camilla met with the Obamas during that visit.
King and queen greeted by military band, then visited White House for tea with Trumps
When Charles and Camilla landed on U.S. soil Monday, they were welcomed by a U.S. military band and school children who presented posies of flowers.
Then, they headed to the White House, where President Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcomed them with a private tea and tour of the White House’s latest beehive.
