King Charles US visit live: Monarch flies into US as security fears rise after Trump dinner shooting

Here is what we know about the scheduled plans for the King and Queen in the United States.

Charles and Camilla are scheduled to be greeted by Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump at around 4.15pm local time (9pm BST) at the White House’s south portico. The heads of state will join together for a private afternoon tea in the Green Room on the state floor.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the “Democrats’ obstruction” of funding to the Department of Homeland Security is impacting the Secret Service’s capability to deal with threats.

She has said that the funding should be considered a “national scandal”.

First Lady Melania Trump has led all of the preparations relating to King Charles’ and Queen Camilla’s visit to the US this week.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt has returned from maternity leave earlier to deliver the press conference today.

She paid tribute to the “special relationship” between the US and UK.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is due to speak at a briefing to press ahead of King Charles’ visit.

We will bring you the key updates. You can follow a live stream of the press conference below.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said he “felt sorry for the King” being sent to the US to meet president Donald Trump.

Speaking in Newcastle, Mr Polanski blamed the Prime Minister for putting the King in that position and said: “I actually feel really sorry for the King, that he’s been paraded around as some sort of privilege for Donald Trump.

“It’s important to put things in perspective. Just a couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, ‘An entire civilisation could be wiped out this evening, it doesn’t have to happen, but it probably could’.

“That’s not a man we should consider our ally or in a special relationship with. That’s a man we should be sanctioning and making sure that we’re condemning.

“And the fact this kind of awful parade of King Charles having to go there, why is Keir Starmer so obsequious to Donald Trump?

“Of course we should have a diplomatic relationship with the president, of course, we should talk to him on a whole range of things.

“But sending King Charles over there to meet him, as if he’s some sort of friend, or some sort of ally, will be difficult for a lot of British people to watch, and they’ll wonder why Keir Starmer, as with so many decisions, has made that decision.”

As King Charles and Queen Camilla are set to arrive in the United States later on today, the British Embassy in Washington is preparing afternoon tea for 650 guests.

Four kinds of tea sandwiches, scones and desserts will be served with flavours including smoked salmon from Scotland and British beef.