King keeps calm and carries on: Charles vows to persevere with US State Visit after third attempt on Trump's life

By REBECCA ENGLISH, ROYAL EDITOR and JACK HARDY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:14, 26 April 2026 | Updated: 23:16, 26 April 2026 King Charles has vowed to persevere with his State Visit to the US on Sunday despite an apparent assassination attempt on the President. Sources told the Daily Mail the monarch is determined to 'keep calm and carry on' – and that if the Government wants him to travel, 'that's exactly what he will do'.  On Sunday Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen Camilla wanted to 'do their duty' – they are expected to arrive as planned on Monday afternoon. However, an urgent security review was under way in light of the dramatic incident in the US capital on Saturday and some 'modest operational adjustments' will be made to 'a few elements' of Their Majesties' programme. Charles and Camilla are due to visit Washington DC, New York and Virginia on the four-day trip.  Donald Trump was attending the White House Correspondents' Association dinner at a Hilton hotel in the US capital when shots were fired. Officers managed to wrestle the suspected gunman – named by US authorities as Cole Tomas Allen – to the ground after a Secret Service agent was shot.  The officer was wearing a bulletproof vest and escaped without serious injury. As many as eight shots were fired during the incident. Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen Camilla wanted to 'do their duty' – they are expected to arrive in the US as planned on Monday afternoon Pictured: Trump and King Charles attended a State banquet at Windsor Castle during the US State visit in September 2025 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were seated at the head of the table during the White House Correspondents' Dinner when an apparent assassination attempt on the President took place Trump posted an image of the man - named by US authorities as Cole Tomas Allen - who tried to breach security on his social media Despite the quick reaction of security services, Allen had managed to come within 100 yards of President Trump as well as dozens of key officials. Mr Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were hurried off the ballroom stage after the gunman exchanged fire with Secret Service agents. Authorities said Allen, a Democrat-supporting, 31-year-old teacher had checked in as a guest at the hotel.  He is reported to have told officers he wanted to shoot officials in the Trump administration. While much of the King's itinerary in Washington will take place within the secure confines of the White House – where the couple are staying at Blair House, the president's historic guest house – and Congress, the visits to New York and Virginia involve much more public aspects. The Mail understands that at least one tentative 'meet and greet moment' may now be scrapped – although some believe the King may yet ask for it to go ahead, subject to security advice, as a sign of solidarity with the people of the US. A source said: 'There has been a close 'scrub' of operational details around some of the elements [of the programme]. It's a case of keep calm and carry on.' The King and Queen 'are very resilient individuals and they will do their duty', an insider said. It is understood that King Charles and Queen Camilla reached out 'privately' on Sunday to the US President and First Lady after the incident Pictured: King Charles and Queen Camilla stood with Mr Trump and Mrs Trump at the State banquet at Windsor Castle in September 2025 In a statement on Sunday Buckingham Palace said: 'Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of Government, we can confirm the State Visit by Their Majesties will proceed as planned.  'The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow.' It is understood that the royal couple reached out 'privately' on Sunday to the US President and First Lady to express their sympathies with all those affected and their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury. Speaking to Fox News, Mr Trump – who has now survived three assassination attempts on his life – also confirmed that the State Visit would continue as planned. 'King Charles is coming,' he said. 'He's a great guy, and we look forward to it. He's really a fantastic person and a tremendous representative, and he's brave.' The King's visit, to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from Great Britain, has been more than a year in the planning.  However there have already been repeated demands for it to be called off amid complaints about the US leader's aggressive foreign policy, particularly the war in Iran, which has led to a spectacular fallout between him and Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the near collapse of the so-called 'special relationship'. However the Government has always firmly believed that the trip should go ahead. It is convinced that the King's skill as an international statesman and his good relationship with Mr Trump, who has enjoyed two state visits to the UK, will help to heal some of the wounds in what will be seen as one of the most tangible examples of the Royal Family's power of 'soft diplomacy'.  Sir Keir spoke to the President on Sunday afternoon to express his 'best wishes' to him and the First Lady, Downing Street confirmed. A spokesman added: 'He expressed his relief that the President and First Lady were safe and wished a speedy recovery to the officer injured.' The incident had worrying echoes of the assassination attempt on former US President Ronald Reagan as he left the same Washington Hilton hotel after a speaking engagement in 1981. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was also shot dead after addressing a gathering at a hotel ballroom in Los Angeles in 1968. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.