King Charles III will travel to the United States in April for a state visit marking the 250th anniversary of American independence — his first official visit to the country as monarch.
Amid political tensions between the U.S. and the United Kingdom over the war in Iran, Buckingham Palace confirmed Tuesday that King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the U.S. to “celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States.”
President Donald Trump addressed the visit in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the three-day trip will include a banquet dinner at the White House.
“This momentous occasion will be even more special this year, as we commemorate the 250th Anniversary of our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!”
The upcoming trip follows Trump’s historic second state visit to the U.K. in September, which made him the first elected leader to be invited and hosted for two state visits by the royal family.
As part of his visit to Washington, Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, April 28.
“We believe an Address to Congress will provide a unique opportunity to share your vision for the future of our special relationship and reaffirm our alliance at this pivotal time in history,” congressional leaders wrote in a letter inviting Charles to give the address.
On his return to Britain, Charles will travel to Bermuda, marking his first as a monarch to a British Overseas Territory.
The king is not expected to travel to the West Coast to visit his son, Prince Harry, during the trip, according to the BBC.
The three-day royal visit is considered “slimmed down” by historical standards, as it is half the length of Queen Elizabeth II’s 1976 bicentennial tour, according to the Times.
Elizabeth made four official visits to the U.S. as monarch, in 1957, 1976, 1991 and 2007.
The shortened itinerary was planned out of consideration for Charles’ heath and stamina, the outlet reported, as the king continues his battle with cancer. It also mirrors Trump’s September visit, which also lasted three days.
While the state visit has been anticipated for some time, before it was officially announced some speculated over whether the trip would be called off amid tensions over Iran.
Shortly before the trip was announced, Trump took aim at the U.K. and other countries, telling them to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz and warned that the U.S. “won’t be there to help you anymore.”
A YouGov poll released last week shows nearly half (49%) of Britons are opposed to the king’s trip, compared to a third (33%) who support it.
The numbers share a similar sentiment from Britons over Trump’s fall trip to the U.K., where roughly half (45%) thought it was wrong to invite the president for a second state visit and a third (30%) believed it was the right move.
During Trump’s trip to the U.K. last fall, the president called the relationship between the two countries “priceless and eternal” as well as “irreplaceable and unbreakable,” per The Guardian.
He added, “Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice.”