Trump says King will be 'very safe' during US visit after security talks

Trump says King will be 'very safe' during US visit after security talks4 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSean Coughlan,Royal correspondent, Washington DCandSean SeddonYui Mok / PA ArchiveTrump and the King were pictured interacting amicably at many points in Trump's state visit to the UK in SeptemberDonald Trump has said King Charles III will "be very safe" during his state visit to the US, which is due to begin later on Monday.Further security talks took place between the White House and Buckingham Palace after a gunman gained access to an event attended by Trump in Washington DC on Saturday.Asked about the security implications for the royal visit, the US president told CBS' 60 Minutes on Sunday that the grounds of the White House, where King Charles will visit, are "really safe".The King and Queen's programme will go ahead largely as planned, Buckingham Palace said, with the UK government hoping it could ease diplomatic tensions.The UK's ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, said the visit would be about "renewing and revitalising a unique friendship" between the two countries.He said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to Trump on Sunday, and the trip would proceed largely as expected. The King and Queen privately reached out to the Trumps to give their sympathies after the attack, during which a Secret Service agent was lightly injured and the president and his wife were rushed to safety.The four-day state visit will begin in Washington DC, with the King and Queen being greeted at the White House by Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump.The president said on Sunday: "I think it's great, he'll be very safe... the White House grounds are really safe. This area of not very many acres is really safe."And he'll be staying here, I believe he's going to a couple of other locations because he's here for a few days."He's a great guy. They called him and they are so looking forward to being here. We spoke this morning."King's 'high stakes' visit with Trump will be toughest test yet of his reignWhat to know about King Charles's state visit to USKing's US visit will go ahead as planned, Buckingham Palace says There are British and US flags flying in the streets around the White House, ahead of what will be several days of political theatre.It will be a charm offensive by the UK, attending ceremonial events in Washington and making a symbolic show of solidarity at the 9/11 Memorial in New York.For Trump, it will also be a chance to be seen on the world stage next to royalty and might be a welcome diversion from his own political battles. And he told the BBC that he thought the visit could help repair relations with the UK, saying: "Absolutely, the answer is yes."Sir Christian said the royal visit would emphasise the "shared history, shared sacrifice and common values" of the two countries and would show that the partnership meant both peoples were "safer, richer and happier".It is understood that diplomats no longer use the phrase the "special relationship", but this visit comes at an unusually difficult time for the US and UK partnership.Trump has criticised Starmer over not supporting the US in its conflict with Iran, and there have been disagreements between the two allies.The state visit, which will include events in Washington DC, New York and Virginia, will show that the "partnership ranges well beyond the government of the day", said the ambassador.Following the event at the White House on Monday, during which…

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