King Charles will address Congress Tuesday afternoon, and the White House will host the King and Queen for an official state dinner in the evening.
WASHINGTON — King Charles III and Queen Camilla have a full day on Tuesday, and expect an impact on traffic in the District. The royal couple arrived at Joint Base Andrews Monday afternoon, and briefly met with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump before heading to the British Embassy in the evening.
Tuesday starts at 11 a.m., with a guestbook signing and official gift exchange in the Blue Room of the White House. King Charles will then participate in a bilateral meeting with the president around 11:40 a.m.
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The king will later make his way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol, where he’ll address a joint session of Congress at 3 p.m. It’ll be the first time the leader of the United Kingdom will address Congress since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did in May 1991. You can watch the speech on our streaming service WUSA9+.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will head back to the White House in the evening, getting a tour of the White House residence at 7 p.m. ahead of the official state dinner in the East Room at 8 p.m.
The Royals are staying in Blair House, the official state guest house, during their time in the District, and that will have an effect on road closures in the area.
The National Park Service says the western side of Lafayette Park will be closed to pedestrian and vehicular traffic through Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the Ellipse will also be closed off to the public through 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“The park closure and public use limitation comes at the request of the United States Secret Service to ensure necessary security and safety for the adjacent White House complex, its occupants and the public during this well publicized event,” NPS said in a statement.
Capitol Police and DC Police say there will be rolling closures throughout the day as the VIPs make their way up to Capitol Hill. Make sure to check our interactive traffic map for the latest road conditions in your area.
The closures come just days after a security breach at the Washington Hilton Hotel during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. 31-year-old Cole Allen of Torrance, California, was arraigned Monday and charged with attempted assassination of the president.
Although there were last-minute concerns about altered plans, Buckingham Palace and US government officials reviewed security procedures and felt comfortable to continue with the visit as planned.
The King and Queen will continue their visit later this week with trips to New York City and Virginia as part of the America 250 celebration this year.