Charles and Camilla’s state visit to the United States begins today.
The state visit comes just days after the assassination attempt on Trump. PDO
King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States has undergone changes since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, says Mirror.
According to court sources, the visit starting today will mostly take place as planned, but due to the shooting, some changes related to practical arrangements have been made to the program.
The decision to change the program was made based on official recommendations at emergency meetings held after the shooting at the Hilton Hotel.
United Kingdom Ambassador to the United States Christian Turner said British and American officials have been working around the clock since the shooting to ensure security arrangements and the visit take place.
– The past 24 hours have been busy here in Washington, and we appreciate the professionalism of the US Secret Service.
– Their Majesties have sent a private message to President Trump and the First Lady, and the Prime Minister spoke to the President on the phone this morning.
The decision to go ahead with the visit comes despite security experts warning that the king is in danger just standing next to Trump after a recent assassination attempt.
Former British Army officer and security expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon however, reminded that the threat is aimed specifically at Trump.
– The security arrangements around the king are always very strict, and they are constantly reviewed as threats change, which in turn affects the security measures. However, the king is probably more worried about his closeness to Trump than Trump is about his closeness to the king.
– The risk already exists from the start, and there is also a so-called association risk. Especially in the United States, the biggest threat comes from a single, independent armed attacker in a society dominated by guns. This man didn’t even get close, but the previous assassination attempt was almost unfathomable in how close the perpetrator got.
Enhanced security arrangements have been introduced for the visit. PDO
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington was interrupted on Saturday by gunfire outside the ballroom.
The suspected shooter Cole Thomas Allen31, was taken into custody shortly after the incident on Saturday. According to the authorities, he said that the attack was aimed at the Trump administration, but did not specifically name the president as the target. According to Trump, the suspect acted alone.
None of the guests in the ballroom were injured. However, one Secret Service agent was hit by a bullet, but he has already been released from the hospital and is expected to recover.
Allen will be arraigned on Monday.