Royal trips always attract a level of attention but perhaps none in quite the same way as King Charles and Queen Camilla's US State Visit. Buckingham Palace has confirmed this will still go ahead, two days after gunshots were fired at a dinner attended by President Donald Trump.
A statement explained that the decision was made "following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic" and on the government's advice. It's understood that minor operational adjustments have been made to some of the couple's engagements and scrutiny is sure to be immense.
In light of this, I can't help feeling that Queen Camilla's candid confession from years ago becomes even more moving. According to royal expert Rebecca English, the Queen said that facing a frenzy of reporters and photographers is "terrifying".
Opening up on the Palace Confidential podcast, Rebecca recalled a time she had to leave a tour early because her bathroom was being renovated. Queen Camilla, then-Duchess of Cornwall, heard about her departure and expressed how "sad" she was to say goodbye to a familiar face.
"And she said, and I remember it so distinctly, she said, 'Oh I'm really sad because I don't think anyone realises how terrifying it is getting out of a car and there's this huge sea of people, and cameras, and the flashes are going off, and it's really helpful to me to see a few friendly faces I recognise that I can look at and focus on'," Rebecca claimed, as per Express.
The expert reflected, "I thought, 'God, this hasn't been easy for you'. I know things didn't start in ideal circumstances and people will have an opinion on that, but one of the things her friends have always said to me is that she never wanted this."
In the years since Her Majesty made her confession she might have become more used to the "huge sea of people" everywhere she goes. Even so, it could still be daunting for her and the US State Visit will attract a lot of press attention and is a high-pressure situation to negotiate.
Just days before the King and Queen boarded their flight, President Trump told the BBC in a phone interview that the visit could "absolutely" help repair the US and UK’s relationship.
The President continued, "I know [King Charles] well, I've known him for years. He's a brave man, and he's a great man. They would absolutely be a positive."
Sir Christian Turner, the UK’s Ambassador to the US, also said the visit would be about "renewing and revitalising a unique friendship" between the two nations.
Meanwhile, some have argued the State Visit shouldn’t be going ahead given the conflict in the Middle East. There will be significant interest in how things go across the four days and Queen Camilla’s method of focusing on a "few friendly faces" that she recognises is an intriguing one. It’s been widely reported that Prince Philip advised the Princess of Wales not to look at the cameras.
Nevertheless the Princess was spotted smiling and mouthing a greeting to long-time royal photographer Arthur Edwards at the Commonwealth Day service in March. It makes sense that recognising certain people at high-profile events could put the royals more at ease.
