King Charles III arrived at the US Capitol on Wednesday ahead of a landmark address to a joint session of Congress, becoming the first British monarch to address both chambers since Queen Elizabeth II delivered a speech there in 1991.
The King was welcomed at the Capitol by Mike Johnson and later met with members of Congress alongside UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Christian Turner.
Before the congressional address, King Charles held a closed-door meeting at the White House with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Senior officials from both governments attended the talks, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
At the same time, Queen Camilla met privately with First Lady Melania Trump as part of the second day of the royal visit. The King and Queen are later expected to return to the White House for a formal state dinner.
The visit has also drawn attention from campaigners linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In Washington, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna hosted a roundtable with survivors and relatives connected to Epstein’s abuse network.
Campaigners had urged Buckingham Palace to arrange a meeting between survivors and the royal delegation, but palace officials declined, saying such a meeting could interfere with ongoing legal matters. Sky Roberts, a brother of Epstein victim Virginia Guiffe, described it as a “missed opportunity” and said he hoped the King would acknowledge survivors during his speech to Congress.
NEW VIDEO: King Charles meets President Trump at the White House where he and Queen Camilla are having tea with @POTUS and @FLOTUS at the start of their 4 days USA State Visit 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/w18efjj0Br
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 27, 2026
