WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump formally welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a traditional State Arrival Ceremony at the White House on April 28, 2026. The event opened a four-day state visit to the United States marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

The ceremony featured full military honors, including a review of hundreds of U.S. service members from all six military branches. U.S. military personnel delivered a gun salute, and Trump and the King reviewed the troops together. Trump spoke during the arrival ceremony, and the King applauded the president.

Trump and Melania Trump walked from the Diplomatic Reception Room to greet the royal couple at the start of the visit. Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff shielded themselves from rain as they attended the ceremony. The King and Queen greeted dignitaries on arrival.

Following the ceremony, Trump, Melania Trump and the royal couple watched a flyover of military planes from the Blue Room balcony. The four then viewed a beehive shaped like the White House that Melania Trump had installed the previous week. Trump, Camilla and Melania Trump also walked together in the White House Rose Garden.

The King joined Trump in the Oval Office for a meeting. The two couples later walked together as they departed the Oval Office, and Trump and Melania Trump waved goodbye to the King and Queen.

Melania Trump and Camilla joined students at the White House Tennis Pavilion for a cultural educational event, where they watched students using AI-enabled glasses. A student wore a virtual reality headset as the two looked on, and Melania Trump tried on Meta RayBan glasses.

The royal couple will be guests of honor at a White House banquet later in the visit. Operational adjustments will be made to some of the monarch's engagements in the U.S. after a gunman stormed a dinner attended by Trump. The state visit comes as the U.K.-U.S. relationship has been strained following Trump's repeated criticism of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the U.S. war with Iran.