King’s state visit to ‘proceed as planned’ after foiled Trump assassination bid

The King’s US state visit programme will “proceed as planned” following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic after what the White House has called the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

Charles and Camilla’s security arrangements were discussed in the wake of Saturday’s violent incident at a Washington media dinner where Mr Trump, the first lady and senior figures from his administration were bundled from the room by the secret service after shots were fired.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson 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 under way tomorrow.”

It is understood there will be some modest operational adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip but the overall plan remains as previously outlined.

Charles and Camilla will arrive in Washington on Monday for a four-day visit aimed at marking the 250th anniversary of American independence and strengthening the special UK-US relationship, which has been under serious strain in recent months.

The visit is the most important foreign trip of the King’s reign so far but now has the added element of security concerns following the violent incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said earlier in the day that security discussion would take place on Sunday and in the coming days.

The King and Queen are understood to have reached out privately to the president and his wife, Melania, to express their sympathies with all those affected on the night, and their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.