King Charles’ security has been reviewed ahead of a trip to the White House on Monday after another assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend.
The state visit is expected to last three days between 27 and 30 April and will include a meeting with the US president at the White House.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos on Saturday night after the attempted attack, which saw shots fired, prompting Trump to be swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of his administration.
After the events, the trip was reviewed and some additional precautions have been taken to ensure the monarch’s safety, with Buckingham Palace confirming that the visit would definitely go ahead.
Experts told The Independent that the extensive planning could include the use of covert agents, snipers, counter-drones and special forces.
Below we look at the “ring of security” – an elite security operation designed to keep the King safe.
Royalty and specialist protection officers (RaSP)
Sir Christopher Turner, Britain’s ambassador to the US, said that UK and US security teams had been planning the trip for weeks before the incident and had prepared for possible changes “as we go”.
“The real point is that our respective security teams have been in close touch for weeks,” he said.
“And any operational changes we have to make, we can make them as we go, and we are all very confident that all appropriate security measures are in place.”
Security teams in both the UK and US worked through the night to assess the safety of the visit after Mr Trump escaped his third assassination attempt.
While minor adjustments will be made to one or two royal engagements during the trip, the overall plan remains unchanged.
Former security specialist Richard Aitch told The Independent that members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection, working within the specialist command of the Metropolitan Police, would be armed on the trip in order to ensure the safety of the monarch.
”With this particular visit you’ve already got members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection in in the US on the ground liaising with the US Secret Service, and they’ve probably been over there for several weeks already,” he said. “They will be refining what they’re doing based on a response to what happened at the weekend.”
Mr Aitch believes that this could include plans to “increase distance” in order to reduce the opportunity for any lone wolf attack and create a “sterile environment”.
Intelligence coordination and undercover agents
“Intelligence flows are vitally important because operational plans are based on them,” says Mr Aitch.
This means UK and US security forces will share intelligence from a diverse array of sources in order to monitor any threats to the King during his visit.
“There will be a uniformed presence, but you will also have covert members blending in with the crowd,” he explains.
“You’ve got people there weeks in advance, blending in with the local population. Security services will listen in on the internet and phone calls and will be paying particular attention to specific individuals, groups and organisations that could do harm.”
They will be especially sensitive to any “lone wolf” threats in light of the incident. Vehicle searches will be conducted in the vicinity of Charles’ route. Control of crowds and the public will also be essential with barricading of the utmost importance to ensure distance.
Snipers, special forces and counter-drones
American officials have an “almost unlimited budget” to conduct their security operations, according to Mr Aitch. However, they have a reputation among their British counterparts for having “all the gear but no idea”.
Nevertheless, US security services will be pulling out all the stops after President Trump promised that the King would be “very safe”.
Protection is likely to include “snipers, counter snipers and search teams with dogs”. Special forces could also be deployed, such as the American Delta Force, the equivalent of the British SAS.
Counter-drone devices and jamming equipment could also be deployed.
“They could also use designated counterattack teams that are part of the FBI and US Secret Service.”
However, he adds that “you can have all of the assets, all of the people in the world, and it only takes one guy to get through. There is actually nothing that exists that is 100 per cent secure 100 per cent of the time.”
