King not meeting Epstein survivors, but state visit could help ease US-UK tensions

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will not meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the state visit to the US this month, a Buckingham Palace source confirmed, as further details about the trip were released.

But it is expected the Queen will meet representatives of groups campaigning against domestic abuse and violence against women at some events during the visit, taking place between 27 and 30 April.

The King will be heading for choppy diplomatic waters given strained relations between the UK and US, including over the Iran war.

Palace sources say he can play a unique role in supporting a UK and US partnership that has "survived many presidencies and of course many reigns".

A Foreign Office spokeswoman also highlighted how the King's visit could help strengthen the relationship and protect its long-term benefits.

"So yes, we are close allies, we do disagree on things, but that doesn't detract from the value that both sides get from this relationship and have done over many decades," she said.

Other details about the state visit released on Tuesday include:

• The King and Queen will arrive in Washington DC, where over two days they will have a tea party, a garden party and a ceremonial military review. The King and Trump will hold a private meeting and the president will host a state dinner at the White House
• Also while in DC, the King will address Congress, a moment which will be the diplomatic highlight of the visit
• In New York, engagements will include visits to the 9/11 memorial, where the King and Queen will meet first responders, and attend a community project in Harlem, a literacy event reflecting on Winnie the Pooh's centenary, a business event and a glitzy reception
• In Virginia, the King, who is an enthusiastic environmental campaigner, will visit a national park and encounter some Appalachian culture, meeting indigenous people. There will be a community party celebrating the 250th anniversary of independence.

After leaving the US, the King will pay a visit to Bermuda, before returning to the UK.

In the wake of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal, there have been growing calls for the royal visitors to meet Epstein's victims, including from US Congressman Ro Khanna, Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips and the family of the late Virginia Giuffre.

This will not be possible, according to Palace sources, who argue it could jeopardise legal proceedings and stop justice for victims.

The source said: "We fully understand and appreciate the survivors' position, but can only reiterate that our position is clear that anything that could potentially impact on ongoing police inquiries and assessments, and any potential legal action that could result from that, would be to the detriment of the survivors themselves in their pursuit of justice."

Queen Camilla has been a longstanding campaigner on domestic abuse, and a recent speech was seen as containing thinly-veiled references to Epstein's victims.

"To every survivor of every kind of violence, many of whom have not been able to tell their stories or who have not been believed, please know that you are not alone," the Queen told a reception at St James's Palace.

State visits are carried out by the monarch on behalf of the UK government.

The Foreign Office says this trip will mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, and will celebrate a partnership of "shared prosperity, security and history".

Trump has always spoken highly of the royals, and he previously said on social media that he would "look forward to spending time with the King, whom I greatly respect. It will be TERRIFIC!"

But the visit comes at a time of unusually tense relations, with Trump throwing barbed comments towards the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, in disagreements over the Iran war.

The itinerary for the visit suggests there will be few opportunities for the media to hear the King and the US President talking to each other off-script, away from set-piece speeches.

There are marked differences in the characters and attitudes of Trump and King Charles, which might need to be put aside during the visit.

Sir Keir has publicly acknowledged recent tensions between Downing Street and the White House.

"Mature alliances are not about pretending differences don't exist; they are about addressing them directly, respectfully, and with a focus on results," he said earlier this year, over US tariffs and threats to Greenland.

Royal visits have regularly taken place amid political turmoil.

In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II visited President Dwight Eisenhower in the aftermath of the damaging Suez Crisis. Her job was to help mend fractured UK-US relations.

The late Queen also visited the US in 1976 to mark 200 years of American Independence, just as the country was still reeling from the fall-out of the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Revealing details of this month's trip, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson alluded to the current international tensions.

"The visit also recognises the challenges the United Kingdom, the United States, and our allies face across the world; this visit is a moment to reaffirm and renew our bilateral ties as we address those challenges together, in the UK's national interest," the spokesperson said.

The King will acknowledge those challenges in his speech to Congress, which will only be the second such address after Queen Elizabeth delivered the first in September 1991.

As well as the bilateral meeting between the King and Trump, the Queen and Melania Trump will also carry out an engagement together.

After the state visit, the King will make his first trip as monarch to a British Overseas Territory, spending three days in Bermuda.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said he would attend a museum exhibition dedicated to the history of Bermuda in order to further "his own understanding of its connection to the transatlantic slave trade".

He is also planning to meet youngsters taking part in a "living classroom" preserving local habitat.

Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.