This state visit marks the 250th anniversary of American independence from British rule and is the first visit of a British monarch to the US in the last twenty years.
Charles and Camilla landed at the Andrews military base, after which they will head to the White House for a private meeting with President Trump, who is known to be a supporter of the royal family.
The visit plan includes Charles’ speech in Congress, a formal dinner at the White House and a visit to New York.
The program begins on Monday, when the American president and his wife Melania Trump will host the royal couple for tea, while Tuesday is planned as the most formal day of the visit, with a military welcoming ceremony.
Donald Trump and King Charles III will meet in the Oval Office, while their wives will attend an event dedicated to education and artificial intelligence.
The British monarch is expected to deliver a speech to the US Congress on the same day — the first of its kind since Queen Elizabeth II’s 1991 address — aimed at easing current diplomatic tensions, recalling 250 years of relations between the United Kingdom and its former colony, now a world power.
The king and queen are also scheduled to visit the September 11 Memorial Center on Wednesday.
Charles III is also facing criticism in the United Kingdom for this unpopular visit, which some see as a humiliating move aimed at appeasing the unpredictable American president.
The monarch also has an implicit role in trying to reconcile Donald Trump, who, despite his personal sympathy for him, is dissatisfied with the reservations of the British authorities regarding the war in Iran.
In addition to criticism of Keir Starmer, the American president additionally strained the transatlantic “special relationship”, downplaying the importance of the sacrifices made by British forces fighting alongside the Americans in Afghanistan.
Another sensitive issue looms in the background of the visit — the Epstein affair and the former friendship between the king’s brother, Prince Andrew, and the deceased convicted sex offender.
(Vijesti.ba)
