Trump says King will be 'very safe' during US visit after security talks

The state visit will go ahead despite concerns raised after a gunman targeted an event attended by the president. Trump says King will be 'very safe' during US visit after security talks Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. King Charles shown in isolation at a state banquet in Windsor in December 2025 hosting the German Prime Minister Trump and the King were pictured interacting amicably at many points in Trump's state visit to the UK in September President Trump and King Charles laugh and talk sitting at the table at the banquet while the president was on a trip to the UK in September. Donald Trump has said King Charles III will "be very safe" during his state visit to the US, which is due to begin later on Monday. Further security talks took place between the White House and Buckingham Palace after a gunman gained access to an event attended by Trump in Washington DC on Saturday. Asked about the security implications for the royal visit, the US president told CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday that the grounds of the White House, where King Charles will visit, are "really safe". The King and Queen's programme will go ahead largely as planned, Buckingham Palace said, with the UK government hoping it could ease diplomatic tensions. The UK's ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said the visit would be about "renewing and revitalising a unique friendship" between the two countries. He said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to Trump on Sunday, and the trip would proceed largely as expected. The King and Queen privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the attack, during which a Secret Service agent was lightly injured and the president and his wife were rushed to safety. The four-day state visit will begin in Washington DC, with the King and Queen being greeted at the White House by Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump. The president said on Sunday: "I think it's great, he'll be very safe... the White House grounds are really safe. This area of not very many acres is really safe. "And he'll be staying here, I believe he's going to a couple of other locations because he's here for a few days. "He's a great guy. They called him and they are so looking forward to being here. We spoke this morning." US President Donald Trump and King Charles side by side against a green background King's 'high stakes' visit with Trump will be toughest test yet of his reign King Charles smiles and looks straight ahead. He is wearing a pinstripe navy suit, a white shirt, a silver tie and a silver pocket square. His left hand is lifted up slightly and he has a black and gold watch on it. His pinky finger on his left hand has a large gold ring. On his left side is Queen Camilla. She is wearing a bright red blazer with a cross-shaped broach. She is wearing a red hat that matches the blazer. She is also looking straight ahead and smiling. What to know about King Charles's state visit to US King Charles III and Donald Trump stood side by side. King's US visit will go ahead as planned, Buckingham Palace says There are British and US flags flying in the streets around the White House, ahead of what will be several days of political theatre. It will be a charm offensive by the UK, attending ceremonial events in Washington and making a symbolic show of solidarity at the 9/11 Memorial in New York. For Trump, it will also be a chance to be seen on the world stage next to royalty and might be a welcome diversion from his own political battles. And he told the BBC that he thought the visit could help repair relations with the UK, saying: "Absolutely, the answer is yes." For Trump, it will also be a chance to be seen on the world stage next to royalty and might be a welcome diversion from his own political battles. And he told the BBC that he thought the visit could help repair relations with the UK, saying: "Absolutely, the answer is yes." Sir Christian said the royal visit would emphasise the "shared history, shared sacrifice and common values" of the two countries and would show that the partnership meant both peoples were "safer, richer and happier". It is understood that diplomats no longer use the phrase the "special relationship", but this visit comes at an unusually difficult time for the US and UK partnership. Trump has criticised Starmer over not supporting the US in its conflict with Iran, and there have been disagreements between the two allies. The state visit, which will include events in Washington DC, New York and Virginia, will show that the "partnership ranges well beyond the government of the day", said the ambassador. Following the event at the White House on Monday, during which the King and Queen will have tea with the Trumps, they will then attend a garden party with guests who have connections to the US and the UK. State visits are carried out on behalf of the government and Sir Christian identified three strategic priorities - investment, military co-operation and encouraging "people to people" connections, including tourism and education. But this visit has faced some criticism, including from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who called for it to be cancelled, describing the US president as "unreliable". The diplomatic centrepiece will be the King's speech to the US Congress on Tuesday, in which the King will have to achieve a balancing act between asserting the UK government's positions and also maintaining friendly relations with Trump. The US president will make his own remarks at a state dinner at the White House. Trump has remained an enthusiastic fan of the monarchy and in an interview with Fox News on Sunday, he praised King Charles, saying: "He's really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative." The UK government will be hoping that some of that warmth will translate to the political relationship. But Labour MP Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said she remained "anxious" about the potential diplomatic implications of the visit. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is a really high-wire act and the president is so unpredictable, you just don't know what he's going to say." Speaking to Times Radio last week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage rejected the suggestion Trump could embarrass the King, saying the president "just won't do that", and that he has an "extraordinary respect" for the royals. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has also backed the visit, while other opposition parties have been critical of it. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has repeatedly called for the visit to be cancelled, pointing to Trump's threat of tariffs against the UK, as well as his party's opposition to the war against Iran, describing the president as an "unreliable" ally. Green Party leader Zack Polanski told BBC 5 Live Breakfast that he "feels sorry" for the King ahead of the trip, and that the UK should seek to improve relations with the US by "taking a sterner line, not by sending a monarch to be paraded". Thin, purple banner promoting the Royal Watch newsletter with text saying, “Insider stories and expert analysis in your inbox every week”. There is also a graphic of a fleur-de-lis in white. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can King Charles wears a sandy-coloured overcoat and white shirt while attending a service at the Church of St Mary the Virgin, close to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, on 26 January, 2025. What does King Charles do and who else is in the Royal Family? As the UK's head of state, King Charles has number of parliamentary and constitutional duties. The garden in the Regent's Park is dedicated to the life of the late queen Elizabeth II with symbolism throughout. The British monarch returns to the US on Monday, a country he has been visiting for decades. King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Washington DC, New York and Virginia during their four-day trip. The decision was made "after discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day", the Palace says. The city's library has the original stuffed animals that inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh collection - except from Roo. King Charles and Queen Camilla will meet with President Donald Trump during a four-day state visit. Family and supporters of Virginia Giuffre repeated calls for King Charles to meet Epstein survivors.