King Charles' state visit to the United States will be a chance for him to speak to Americans and the whole of the US government — not just President Donald Trump, said Philip Reeker, former Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in the United Kingdom.
The King will give an address to a joint session of Congress tomorrow, where Supreme Court justices will also be in attendance. There will be pomp and circumstance during his four-day visit, but King Charles knows this speech is an opportunity, Reeker said.
The visit comes after Trump has called UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer “a loser†and lobbied criticism at the UK leader over his refusal to assist with the US' war with Iran. But, Reeker said that regardless of who is leading the countries, the relationship between the US and Britain is greater than one government.
The trip is also a chance for the world to see King Charles' physical condition after the royal family announced in early 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer. It is “good to see the King looking well,†Reeker said.
In December 2025, the King said in a video message that he had responded well to treatment and that the regimen would be reduced this year.
“We understand that he continues to get treatments and obviously he's got the best healthcare and we wish him very well because he's got good genes,†he said. “His mother certainly showed that in a long, long life.â€
The monarch's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, lived to be 96.
