The British monarch King Charles III and Queen Camilla started their four-day state visit to the United States on Monday afternoon under heightened security after US President Donald Trump was targeted by a gunman at a Washington DC dinner on Saturday.
Security for the trip was reviewed on Sunday, with Buckingham Palace confirming in the evening that the visit would still go ahead.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we can confirm the state visit by their majesties will proceed as planned.
“The king and queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow.”
It is understood some elements of the program will be slightly reworked to reduce any security risks, reported the BBC.
Concerns intensified after a gunman tried to force entry at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in a Washington hotel on Saturday, and the acting US attorney general said the suspect likely intended to target Trump.
The palace said the king was “greatly relieved” to learn that the president and first lady Melania Trump, and other attendees were not harmed.
The office of the United Kingdom prime minister said the US and UK were “working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place” for the visit.
Speaking on Sky News on Sunday, Darren Jones, chief secretary to the UK prime minister, was asked whether there were additional concerns for the king’s safety.
Jones said: “As you would imagine, the government and the palace take the security of his majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days.”
The trip, the king’s first to the US as monarch, coincides with the 250th anniversary of US independence and will herald the start of commemorations nationwide.
The royal couple was due to begin the visit with a private tea hosted by the president and first lady. The visit comes amid strains in UK-US relations after tense exchanges between Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The king has faced calls to meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during his visit. The king’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has been linked to Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre, who took her life last year aged 41, alleged that Mountbatten-Windsor sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was a teenager, though he has always rejected the claims. The dispute ended in 2022 with a multi-million-pound settlement made without any admission of liability.
Palace sources told The Times newspaper the king will not meet Epstein’s victims, to avoid jeopardizing an ongoing UK police inquiry, though it has been reported that Camilla could possibly meet US groups campaigning against domestic abuse and violence against women.