Trump says King Charles to visit US despite shooting incident

• Charles and Camilla privately contacted Trump and Melania to express sympathy, palace source says

 WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that British King Charles III would proceed with his planned visit to the US despite a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at a hotel.

"King Charles is coming, and he's a great guy," Trump told Fox News, adding that the monarch is "a fantastic person and a tremendous representative" of his country.

"He's coming, and we're going to have a great time," he said.

Trump also paid tribute to the king's resilience in the face of his health challenges, praising him as "very brave" for continuing his public duties while battling cancer.

"He's been amazing, actually," Trump said, describing Charles as a longtime personal friend.

The visit comes at a moment of heightened security in Washington following Saturday's attack outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, where a suspect was apprehended after attempting to breach the security perimeter of the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled for a state visit to the US on April 27-30, 2026, at Trump's invitation. The trip celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence and marks Charles's first such visit as king.

Earlierm Buckingham Palace said discussions would take place with US authorities on Sunday to determine whether a shooting at a dinner attended by President Donald Trump would affect planning for King Charles' state visit to the US this week.

Trump was rushed out of the White House correspondents' dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday after a man opened fire on security personnel nearby, and authorities think the shooting likely targeted him and administration officials, Acting US ⁠Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

Blanche added that he was confident King Charles would be safe during this week's visit to the United States.

A palace spokesperson said Charles was being kept fully informed of developments and was relieved that Trump, his wife and all guests had been unharmed.

"A number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the visit," the spokesperson said.

Charles and his wife, ⁠Camilla, have also privately reached out to Trump and his wife - first lady Melania Trump - to express their sympathies, a palace source said.

The royal couple are due to arrive in the United States on Monday for a four-day trip that includes a private meeting with Trump and an address to ⁠Congress, marking 250 years since the US declaration of independence from British rule.

British senior minister Darren Jones said earlier on Sunday the government would remain in close cooperation with US security services ahead of ⁠Charles' visit and that extensive discussions already under way would continue in the coming days.

"In respect of His Majesty's visit to the United States next week ... our security services obviously ⁠remain in close cooperation in advance of that," Jones told Sky News.

The visit comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government hopes the king's trip will help reinforce the US-UK "special relationship" after recent diplomatic strains.