How safe is King Charles after Donald Trump's evacuation from hotel shooting?

Cameron Walker
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:29:54 +0000

As Washington wakes up after a night of chaos, palace and White House officials are locked in talks about the future of next week's State Visit.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to arrive in the US Capitol on Monday to commemorate 250 years of American independence.

It was already going to be a challenging State Visit, littered with diplomatic and Epstein-shaped obstacles, but the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner has raised serious security questions.

President Trump, the First Lady and senior administration officials were swiftly evacuated to safety by Secret Service agents, with at least one of them being the intended target, according to the Acting US Attorney General.

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A Buckingham Palace spokesman tells us: "His Majesty is being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved to hear that the President, First Lady and all guests have been unharmed.

"As you would expect, a number of discussions will be taking place throughout the day to discuss with US colleagues and our respective teams to what degree the events of Saturday evening may or may not impact on the operational planning for the Visit."

In other words, altering or even cancelling the State Visit at this late stage has not been ruled out.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Darren Jones MP, said security of His Majesty is taken "very seriously" by Buckingham Palace and the UK Government.

For years, royal officials have successfully kept members of the Royal Family safe in the United States - a country seemingly reluctant to sacrifice its gun culture.

A vast majority of the ceremonial engagements are expected to take place within heavily fortified White House grounds - a location that's had a major security upgrade since President Trump moved in for his second term in office.

This, perhaps, could give royal protection officers extra confidence to keep Their Majesties safe.

President Trump himself has suggested the shooting incident at Washington's Hilton hotel would never have happened if the White House ballroom had been completed, because the Correspondent's Dinner could have been held there instead.

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On Truth Social, the President posted: "What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.

"This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House.

"It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World, The White House.

"The ridiculous Ballroom lawsuit, brought by a woman walking her dog, who has absolutely No Standing to bring such a suit, must be dropped, immediately.

"Nothing should be allowed to interfere with its construction, which is on budget and substantially ahead of schedule!!! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Clearly, President Trump is angry; he's already vowed to attend a reorganised Correspondents' Dinner within "30 days".

Trump claimed he "fought like hell" with Secret Service once the shooter had been apprehended for the dinner to continue, but protocol wouldn't allow it.

This suggests President Trump will stop at nothing to reassure royal protection officials that the United States' security is more than capable of keeping Britain's Head of State safe from harm.

If he fails to do this, it could prove extremely embarrassing for the President, who won't take too kindly to the UK Government shelving the visit over security concerns.

After all, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is relying on the King's soft power to help repair fraught relations between Downing Street and the White House.