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

The United States could host the British royal family as early as next year, a new report claims.

The Times reported on January 20 that Downing Street hopes to send senior royals to the US in 2026 to meet President Donald Trump and restore the US-UK special relationship, playing up Trump’s affection for the British royal family.

Talks are at an early stage, the paper reported, “which means no formal offer has been made” – but, according to a senior British government source, “Donald Trump has a clear affinity for the royal family. He had a great relationship with the late Queen, recently met Prince William and spoke highly of King Charles A royal tour of the US would help strengthen the ‘special relationship’.

US President Donald Trump (2R), US First Lady Melania Trump (R), Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (2L), and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pose for a photo before dinner at Winfield House, the residence of the US ambassador , where US President Trump is staying in London, on June 4, 2019.

HRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty I

The royal tour of the state could coincide with events marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, according to The Times. This year’s sesquicentennial celebrations will begin on Memorial Day and culminate on July 4, 2026.

“Playing to [Trump’s] pro-anarchist tendencies are one of the many important ways we can exercise our soft power,” another source told this newspaper. “You saw it during his first administration and you can expect to see it again.”

For context, Queen Elizabeth went to the US in 1976 to mark the 200th anniversary of US independence from Britain, where she spoke in Philadelphia and expressed the monarchy’s “sincere gratitude” to the US founders for having “taught Britain a very valuable lesson.”

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip wave to a 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 co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Mexico and Canada, which could help bring soccer-loving Prince William to America, according to The Timesand one source called it “another useful opportunity for potential royal engagement with the US”

Trump and the Prince of Wales recently met at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 7, and King Charles sent a congratulatory message on the day of Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, reflecting the enduring special relationship between the two countries.

In addition to senior members of the royal family coming to the US, The Times reported that discussions are also underway to offer Trump a second state visit to the UK – and, if it happens, it would mark the first time an elected leader has made two state visits to the country. (Trump’s previous state visit took place in 2019.)

Queen Elizabeth views an exhibition of American items from the royal collection with US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019.

TOLGA AKMEN/POOL/AFP via Getty

Donald Trump remembers Queen Elizabeth: ‘No one like her’

PEOPLE understands that incoming or outgoing state visits by Trump to the U.K. or senior members of the royal family to the U.S. are possible, but there are no plans on the calendar yet. Foreign leaders are invited to visit the king on the advice and at the request of the British government through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which also arranges overseas trips.

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

“What a magnificent and beautiful lady she was—there was none like her!” Trump added.

Former White House Russia adviser Fiona Hill wrote in her book There’s Nothing Here for You: Finding Opportunity in the 21st Century that Trump “was always mildly impressed when he talked about [Queen Elizabeth] — his voice and face would soften. Meeting the Queen of England was the ultimate sign that he, Trump, had succeeded in life.”

US President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth during a state banquet in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019. DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Melania Trump says King Charles is her pen pal ‘to this day’ in New Memoir

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For her part, Melania Trump wrote in her 2024 memoir Melania that both she and her husband corresponded with King Charles in “current correspondence,” writing that “our friendship with the Royal Family continues, and we exchange letters with King Charles to this day.”

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Source: HIS Education