Keir Starmer holds imminent crunch talks with Buckingham Palace over King's 'security' after White House shooting

Dorothy Reddin
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 08:42:56 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer is holding crunch talks with Buckingham Palace over King Charles's "security" alongside Donald Trump in the United States, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has confirmed.

On Saturday night, an attempted attack occurred during the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton, resulting in the immediate evacuation of the President and First Lady.

As a result, the Prime Minister has sent a message of solidarity to Mr Trump.

Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones confirmed: “These are remarkable scenes.

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“The Prime Minister has, this morning, sent a message to the President of the United States in solidarity for the events that took place.

“As you would imagine, with the visit of His Majesty the King this week, our teams are working closely to ensure that security arrangements are put appropriately in place.”

Asked if there are any extra concerns for the King’s safety during his upcoming state visit to the US, Mr Jones continued to tell Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “As you would imagine, the Government and the Palace take the security of His Majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days.”

Sir Keir Starmer said he was “shocked” by the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

“It is a huge relief that @POTUS, the First Lady and all those attending are safe.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to arrive in the US on Monday for a three-day State Visit, where they will stay in Washington, DC, with Donald and Melania Trump.

Sir Keir's Chief Secretary has said discussions on the King’s security during his visit to the US would take place on Sunday.

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Mr Jones told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “As you would imagine, the Government and the Palace were in close co-operation with American counterparts in advance of the visit anyway, and further discussions will be taking place today ahead of next week.”

Asked if that meant there would be any escalation on what had been planned, he said: “There’ll be appropriate security in place in relation to the risk.”

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told GB News earlier this morning: "This is obviously very concerning. Security will have been extremely tight anyway, especially given the War with Iran.

"Clearly, it will be further strengthened. To my knowledge, no walkabouts were planned. This devastating security scare turned the event into chaos."

GB News has contacted both Buckingham Palace and the White House for comment.

Secret Service agents intercepted the suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California. One Secret Service officer was shot at close range but was saved by his bulletproof vest.

The suspect, who was armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives, was tackled and taken into custody. He was not shot but was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Hundreds of guests, including journalists and Government officials like Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, took cover under tables.

The suspect is facing charges including assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence. He is expected to be formally charged in court on Monday, April 27.