King Charles III visit live updates: Royals to kick off US trip in DC

King Charles has visited the United States 19 times before but today will mark his first state visit as a monarch.

Charles’ first trip to the U.S. was in 1970 when the 21-year-old Prince of Wales traveled with his sister Princess Anne and were guests of the Nixons.

Charles also traveled to Los Angeles in 1974 where he met and struck up a friendship with Barbra Streisand.

In 1985 Charles, accompanied by Princess Diana, met the Reagans at the White House. It was on this trip that Diana famously danced with John Travolta.

In 2005 Charles took Camilla to see the Bushes on their first official overseas trip since their marriage, and in 2015 the couple returned to the White House as guests of the Obamas.

This trip will have echoes of previous royal visits when Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited the United States in July 1976 for the 200th anniversary of American independence. More recently, in 1991 Elizabeth became the first British monarch to address Congress.

The royals' visit to the U.S. comes amid the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein scandal that has rocked both sides of the Atlantic and directly entangled the royal family.

Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office following the emergence of documents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s files detailing communication between Mountbatten-Windsor and the late Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

Charles, Camilla and other members of the royal family have faced heckling at public events in the U.K. over the family’s handling of Andrew. Following his brother’s arrest, Charles said authorities have the palace’s “wholehearted support and cooperation,” adding, "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course."

The former prince has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, and has not been charged.

Royal sources told ABC News that following the shooting incident outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Saturday night in Washington, D.C., some modest operational adjustments were made to the royals’ engagements during their U.S. visit. The overall plan, however, remains the same.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Sunday that the royals’ visit would "proceed as planned."

"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 palace said in a statement. "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."

ABC News has confirmed that Charles will not see his California-based son, Prince Harry, while he is in the U.S.

The king will not see either of his grandchildren, Lilibet, 4, and Archie, who turns 7 next week.

Charles has not seen Archie and Lilibet -- two of his five grandchildren -- since 2022, when they traveled with Harry and his wife, Duchess Meghan, to the U.K. for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

The last time Charles and Harry met was a brief meeting in September 2025 at Clarence House in London. Harry has subsequently been back in the U.K. but has not seen his father.

Harry has lived in Montecito, California, since 2020, when he and Meghan stepped away from their senior royal roles.