UK King to Meet With Trump, Congress   04/28 06:05

   King Charles III will embrace some of Washington's most formal ceremonial 
trappings on Tuesday as he tries to emphasize a bond between the United Kingdom 
and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the political turmoil 
of the moment.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- King Charles III will embrace some of Washington's most 
formal ceremonial trappings on Tuesday as he tries to emphasize a bond between 
the United Kingdom and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the 
political turmoil of the moment.

   He will become the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress since 
his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. Her speech highlighted the shared 
history of both countries and the importance of their democratic values, themes 
Charles will likely reinforce on Tuesday.

   Such addresses are an opportunity afforded to only the most prominent world 
leaders, including Pope Francis, Vclav Havel and Winston Churchill. It will 
likely mark the most extensive public remarks Charles will deliver during a 
four-day visit to the U.S. that's intended to celebrate the country's 250th 
anniversary of independence from Britain.

   House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., became the first sitting leader of his 
chamber to address the U.K. Parliament earlier this year. He attended a garden 
party with the king in Washington on Monday and said he told him he would be 
"well received" in Congress.

   The king, accompanied by Queen Camilla, will begin his day with a meeting at 
the White House with President Donald Trump. The Oval Office encounter offers 
the potential for the freewheeling, sometimes controversial meetings with 
foreign leaders that have become routine during Trump's second term.

   But given the expressly apolitical nature of the British monarch and Trump's 
fondness for the royal family, the likelihood of an awkward meeting may be 
reduced. Trump will host Charles on Tuesday evening for a state banquet at the 
White House.

   The visit comes at a challenging moment for U.S.-U.K. relations. Trump's 
up-and-down relationship with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has taken a 
particularly sour turn over the past several months as the Republican president 
has sought to rally international support for the war in Iran. Trump criticized 
Starmer, who has largely resisted his overtures, by saying "this is not Winston 
Churchill that we're dealing with."

   Trump has also imposed tariffs on the U.K. and warned of additional levies 
despite a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that has made such unilateral 
moves more challenging. Trump threatened just last week to slap a "big tariff" 
on the U.K. if it doesn't scrap a digital services tax on U.S. technology 
companies.

   Trump has more broadly challenged the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance 
with efforts to annex Greenland and threats to walk away from NATO. He has 
repeatedly imposed tariffs on and taunted Canada, a member of the British 
Commonwealth.

   Meanwhile, Charles has faced some calls on Capitol Hill to meet with victims 
of Jeffrey Epstein while he is in the U.S. There's no indication that he will 
do so even as the scandal involving the convicted sex offender has ensnared his 
brother, who was arrested in February over misconduct allegations, which he 
denies.

   Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., urged the king over the weekend to at least 
address the issue during his congressional speech.

   House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York blamed Republican 
policies on Monday for straining the U.S.-U.K. relationship.

   "Hopefully, the king's visit is going to go a long way toward repairing the 
damage that this administration has done to one of our most important allies in 
the world," Jeffries said.

   Charles and Camilla arrived at the nation's capital on Monday and held a tea 
with the president and first lady Melania Trump. The royal couple will continue 
their U.S. trip later this week with stops in New York City and Virginia.