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King Charles is set to meet US President Donald Trump away from the cameras for one major reason, it has been revealed. The King and Queen Camilla travelled to Washington DC on Monday, with their visit set to conclude on Thursday.

British officials reportedly felt that the meeting should take place in private for fear of a repeat of the scenes when Trump berated the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in front of the world's press. Sources involved in the planning process have said that the King will, however, pose for the cameras at the start of his centrepiece bilateral meeting on Tuesday, April 28.

Trump criticised Zelenskyy live on air during a White House meeting in February 2025.

Ministers have shared that they wish the visit would repair the relationship between the UK and the US after one of its most difficult periods in decades.

The four-day trip comes after tensions, with President Trump having recently criticised the UK government's foreign policy stance and openly clashed with Sir Keir Starmer.

Despite the recent tensions, he described the King as "my friend", signalling that he wishes to use the visit to strengthen ties between the UK and the US.

The government confirmed on Sunday that the trip would go ahead as originally planned after the shooting at the White House correspondents' dinner in Washington DC on Saturday.

Speaking to CBS News's 60 Minutes on Sunday night, the President praised Charles for still making the visit.

He said: "[The King] is a great guy, and we look forward to it. He's really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he's brave."

To mark the end of the first day of the visit yesterday, the King and Queen were joined by 650 guests at a lavish garden party in Washington DC, which was held at the British Embassy.