King Charles III's US state visit holds Trump meeting off-camera as Britain works to ease Iran-war strain

King Charles III and Queen Camilla began a four-day state visit to the United States on Monday, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, with British officials negotiating that the king's principal meeting with President Donald Trump be held off-camera. The Guardian reported Charles would be photographed only briefly with Trump at the start of the bilateral on Tuesday, with talks then continuing behind closed doors — a format Whitehall pushed for to avoid a repeat of the televised Oval Office clash between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The royal couple took tea with the president and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House on Monday, then attended a garden party at the British ambassador's residence in Washington. The visit goes ahead under tightened security following a shooting at a press gala in Washington over the weekend.

On Tuesday, Charles delivered a rare address to a joint session of Congress — the first British monarch to do so since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 — and was honoured at a state dinner at the White House. His speech focused on the UK-US relationship but argued for a strong NATO and continued support for Ukraine. After the address, Trump told reporters Charles 'would have probably helped' the United States in its military campaign against Iran, contrasting him with Starmer, whom Trump has branded 'no Churchill.' 'The king is fantastic … he loves his country, and he's a great friend of mine,' Trump said.

On Wednesday the couple visited the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan, laying white lilacs, daffodils and peonies and meeting victims' families and first responders, before Charles toured Harlem Grown, an after-school urban-farming initiative for children affected by food insecurity. He briefly met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the memorial ceremony.

The visit comes against a strained backdrop: Trump has repeatedly criticised Starmer for refusing to provide military support for Washington's war on Iran, and an early April YouGov poll found 48% of Britons supported cancelling the state visit altogether. Starmer has publicly criticised the war but defended the visit. The couple are expected to wrap up the trip with a formal White House farewell on Thursday.