By Bonface Mulyungi
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House on Monday for an official state visit that will “proceed as planned” despite the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting on Saturday night.
The royal couple touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday afternoon, where they were greeted by U.S. military personnel and Trump administration officials, before heading to the White House to meet with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
They later attended a garden party hosted by the British embassy, with a long list of high-profile American political figures in attendance.
The visit began just two days after a gunman attacked the annual press dinner, where the Secret Service rushed the Trumps and many senior figures from his administration from the room after shots were fired. Some minor operational adjustments to one or two royal engagements during the trip are expected, but the overall plan remains as previously outlined.
According to Buckingham Palace, the four-day trip includes stops in Washington, D.C., New York and Virginia, and will conclude on Thursday, April 30.
The visit will include a bilateral meeting between President Trump and King Charles, during which the first lady and Queen Camilla are expected to meet separately. Charles’s address to a joint session of Congress and a state dinner at the White House are also on the itinerary.
