Overview
- Warren Stephens, the U.S. ambassador to the UK, said Thursday that cancelling the trip would be a "very big mistake" and noted Speaker Mike Johnson has invited the King to address both chambers of Congress.
- Plans reported by multiple outlets point to a three-day visit in the last week of April with a White House state dinner, a Washington address to a joint meeting of Congress, and a stop in New York.
- House leaders reshaped the calendar so the chamber sits the week of April 27, and U.S. political reporting says the White House is expected to confirm the visit within days.
- Buckingham Palace has not confirmed the travel, which tracks with UK protocol that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office leads announcements for state visits.
- Polling in the UK shows roughly half of respondents want the trip called off during the Iran conflict, even as an address to Congress would be the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.