King Charles has expressed his relief that Donald Trump and Melania Trump were unharmed after shots were fired at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, an incident occurring just two days before the King and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit the United States.
Incident at the Dinner
The dinner, held at the Washington Hilton on Saturday evening, was barely underway when the Secret Service was forced to intervene after a series of shots were heard. Thomas Allen, 31, has since been arrested and faces at least three charges after breaching a security checkpoint and exchanging gunfire with law enforcement, according to authorities.
Royal Response
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson confirmed that the King is being kept fully informed of developments and is greatly relieved that the President, First Lady, and all guests are safe. The spokesperson added that discussions will take place throughout the day with US colleagues and respective teams to assess whether the events of Saturday evening will impact the operational planning for the upcoming state visit.
The King and Queen are understood to have privately reached out to the President and First Lady to express their sympathies for all those affected and their gratitude to the security services who prevented further injury.
