Washington: King Charles III and the Prince of Wales are expected to make separate visits to the United States in 2026 as part of efforts to reinvigorate trade relations with US President Donald Trump’s administration, according to reports.
Advanced discussions are underway regarding a visit by the king, which is likely to take place in April. If confirmed, it would mark the first visit by a reigning British monarch to the US since Queen Elizabeth II travelled there in 2007 at the invitation of then-president George W Bush.
Prince William is expected to undertake a separate visit later in the year, coinciding with the 2026 Fifa World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. The prince is likely to travel in his role as president of the Football Association, with England’s third group match scheduled for June 27 in New Jersey.
The planned royal diplomacy comes at a sensitive moment in UK–US relations, following Washington’s decision earlier this month to pause a promised multibillion-pound investment in British technology amid ongoing trade disagreements.
The $41.85 billion (£31 billion) package, announced during Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK and described by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a generational step-change in our relationship with the US, included pledges from major US tech firms such as Microsoft, which committed $29.7 billion (£22 billion), and Google, which pledged $6.75 billion (£5 billion). However, US officials have put implementation on hold, citing a lack of progress by the UK in lowering trade barriers in other sectors.
The move was a setback for the UK government, which had promoted the agreement as a key achievement of its year-long diplomatic engagement with Washington aimed at avoiding punitive tariffs on British exports. As part of that effort, Starmer hosted Trump for an unprecedented second state visit at Windsor Castle in September.
Downing Street said earlier this month that the government remained in active conversations with the US over the tech deal, while acknowledging that negotiations were complex. Reports suggest US negotiators have grown frustrated with slow progress on a broader trade agreement announced in May 2025, when the UK avoided the 20 percent tariffs imposed by the US on many other countries.
Britain’s digital services tax, which is strongly opposed by Trump’s allies in the technology sector, and the issue of increased access to UK markets for US agricultural producers are understood to be among the key sticking points.
According to reports, the timing of Prince William’s visit could also allow him to be in the US around Independence Day on 4 July, which in 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence. The prime minister is not expected to accompany the king on his visit. Instead, the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, is likely to represent the government.
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