Senior Royals May Embark on Royal Tour of U.S. to Renew 'Special Relationship’: Report

Mar. 15, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump, Prince William, King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales.Photo:Regine Mahaux/WireImage; Oleg Nikishin/Getty; Mina Kim - WPA Pool/Getty;  Chris Jackson/Getty

Regine Mahaux/WireImage; Oleg Nikishin/Getty; Mina Kim - WPA Pool/Getty;  Chris Jackson/Getty

The United States could play host to British royalty as soon as next year, a new report claims.

The Timesreported Jan. 20 that Downing Street hopes to send senior royals to the U.S. in 2026 to meet with PresidentDonald Trumpand renew the U.S. and the U.K.’s special relationship, playing off of Trump’s fondness for the British royal family.

Talks are in early stages, the outlet reported, “meaning no offer has been formally made” — but, according to a senior U.K. government source, “Donald Trump has a clear affinity for the royal family. He had a great relationship with the late Queen, recently metPrince Williamand has spoken highly ofKing Charles. A royal tour to the U.S. would help reinforce the ‘special relationship.’ ”

U.S. President Donald Trump (2R), U.S. First Lady Melania Trump (R), Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2L), and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pose for a photograph ahead of a dinner at Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. Ambassador, where U.S. President Trump is staying while in London, on June 4, 2019.HRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty I

HRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty I

A stateside royal tour could coincide with events marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, according toThe Times. Festivities for the semiquincentennial will begin on Memorial Day this year and culminate on July 4, 2026.

“Playing up to [Trump’s] pro-monarchist tendencies is one of a number of important ways we can exert our soft power,” another source told the outlet. “You saw that during his first administration and can expect to see it again.”

For context,Queen Elizabethwent to the U.S. in 1976 to mark the U.S.’s 200th anniversary of its independence from Britain, where she spoke in Philadelphia and expressed the monarchy’s “sincere gratitude” to the U.S.’s founding fathers for having “taught Britain a very valuable lesson.”

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to the crowd at the Old State House during a visit to Boston, July 11, 1976.David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty

The United States will also jointly host the Fifa World Cup in 2026, along with Mexico and Canada, which could help bring soccer-loving Prince William stateside, according toThe Times, with one source calling it “another helpful opportunity for potential royal engagement with the U.S.”

Trump and the Prince of Wales recentlymet at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedralin Paris on Dec. 7, and King Charles reached out on the day of Trump’s second inauguration on Jan. 20 to send a message of congratulations, reflecting the enduring special relationship between the two countries.

Queen Elizabeth views a display of U.S. items of the Royal collection with U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019.TOLGA AKMEN/POOL/AFP via Getty

TOLGA AKMEN/POOL/AFP via Getty

After Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, Trump released a statement that he and his wife, Melania, would “always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom and wonderful sense of humor.”

“What a grand and beautiful lady she was — there was nobody like her!” Trump added.

Former White House Russia advisor Fiona Hill wrote in her bookThere Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Centurythat Trump was “always slightly awestruck when he talked about [Queen Elizabeth] — his voice and his face would soften. A meeting with the Queen of England was the ultimate sign that he, Trump, had made it in life.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth during a State Banquet in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019.DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

For her part,Melania Trumpwrote in her 2024 memoirMelaniathat both she and her husband remain pen pals with King Charles in an “ongoing correspondence,” writing that “our friendship with the royal family continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day."

source: people.com