The King has been invited to address a joint meeting of the US Congress during his state visit to Washington DC later this month.
House of Representatives speaker Mike Johnson wrote in a post on X: “It is my distinct honour and great privilege to invite His Majesty King Charles III, The King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, to address a joint meeting of Congress.
“Our two nations share one of the most consequential partnerships in history, and together we will mark the historic milestone of America’s 250th year of independence.”
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s long-expected historic trip will take place in late April, despite calls for it to be postponed or even cancelled because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
US president Donald Trump declared the trip would be “TERRIFIC!” and a “momentous occasion” in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding there would be “a beautiful banquet dinner” at the White House on the evening of 28 April, on the same day as the King’s address.
Mr Trump also revealed the “historic state visit” will take place over four days from 27 to 30 April, despite the palace deciding not to confirm the exact dates in its own official announcement.
“I look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect,” he added.
The official announcement from Buckingham Palace on Tuesday came less than an hour after Mr Trump told the UK to secure the Strait of Hormuz itself and “go get your own oil”.
It will be the King’s first visit to the US as monarch and the first state visit by a British sovereign to America for nearly 20 years, since Queen Elizabeth II’s tour in 2007.
State visits are undertaken on “the advice of His Majesty’s government”, a fact with which the palace began its official statement announcing the tour.
Charles and Camilla will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, attend a glittering state dinner at the White House, and the King will address Congress during the historic tour, Buckingham Palace confirmed.
But exact day-by-day details of the programme have yet to be disclosed.
Charles will stop off afterwards in Bermuda – without Camilla – for his first royal visit as monarch to a British Overseas Territory.
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey condemned the decision to continue with the trip, and accused prime minister Sir Keir Starmer of showing a “staggering lack of backbone” while Mr Trump treated the UK with contempt.
Mr Trump has branded the UK’s approach to the Iran war “terrible” and repeatedly lashed out at Sir Keir, including describing him as “not Winston Churchill”, with the special relationship between the two allied nations appearing increasingly strained.
State visits are rarely postponed, except for security reasons and illness, and the royal family’s soft power diplomacy is viewed as an important and unique way of engaging with the billionaire-turned-politician Mr Trump, who is well known for his love of the monarchy.
Mr Trump declared earlier in March that the trip was going ahead and that he was “looking forward” to meeting the King again, and more recently revealed: “He’s going to be here very soon, as you know, we’re going have a state dinner. It’s going be great.”
He added: “He’s a friend of mine.”
The president was feted with a second state visit to the UK, unprecedented for an American leader, last year.
He hailed the King as a “great gentleman and a great King” during his stay, praised the Princess of Wales for being “so radiant and so healthy and so beautiful”, and later said he ate “whatever the hell they served us” at the sumptuous state banquet.
