Preparations are underway for King Charles’ US state visit just hours after Prince Harry’s jarring comments calling the US government out over the war in Ukraine, during a visit to the Eastern European country.
New images from near the White House show that Union Jack flags are being erected in anticipation of His Majesty’s arrival in a matter of days.
The White House website also has an update about the upcoming visit. The statement reads: “President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome His Majesty King Charles the III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her Majesty Queen Camilla to Washington, DC for a State Visit on Monday, April 27, through Thursday, April 30, 2026. This occasion marks the first official State Visit of the second term of the Trump Administration.”
Flag fiasco
When president Trump came to the UK for an official visit in 2025, the flags caused a stir. The wrong red was used on US flags, and there was a whopping £50,000 bill for the UK government to replace them, to keep the Americans happy.
What has Harry said about the US government?
The Duke of Sussex is currently on a non-royal visit to Ukraine, and on 23 April at the Kyiv Security Forum he gave a powerful speech, where he called out America. “This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honor its international treaty obligations, not out of charity but out of its own enduring role in global security and strategic stability,” he said.
© Global Images Ukraine via Getty“This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America to show that it can honor its international treaty obligations, not out of charity but out of its own enduring role in global security and strategic stability.”
Trump appeared to shut down any dialogue when he was subsequently quizzed on the comments. “I know one thing, Prince Harry is not speaking for the UK, that’s for sure,” he quipped. Trump then pointed out that he is looking forward to his “friend” King Charles arriving on American soil.
Speaking to Reuters ahead of the highly anticipated trip, the US president explained that no topic was off limits during the visit. “I’m going to talk about everything,” he said.
© Getty ImagesThe reason these comments from the Duke of Sussex may have come as a surprise to many is because historically, members of the royal family are politically neutral and toe the line quite carefully when it comes to controversial topics like war. As Harry stepped down from his role as a senior royal in 2020, he may feel like he’s in a position to speak more freely on the matter.
He was clear, however, that he wasn’t speaking as a “politician”. Echoing the words of his late mother, Princess Diana, when he clarified he wasn’t there “as a politician” but instead as a “soldier who understands service, as a humanitarian who has seen the human cost of conflict, and as a friend of Ukraine who believes the world must not grow used to this war or numb to its consequences”. During her 1997 Angola visit, Diana said she was “not a political figure” but a “humanitarian”.
Why are King Charles and Queen Camilla travelling to the US?
The official palace announcement read: “On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America.
© Getty Images“Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.”
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