King Charles III is set to visit the U.S. Monday, and there could be some etiquette faux pas to watch out for.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania are set to greet King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House on April 27 before the royal couple makes stops in New York City and Virginia. This marks Charles’s first visit to the U.S. as a reigning monarch and the first state visit by a British Monarch since the late Queen Elizabeth was hosted by George Bush in May 2007.
It comes as the U.S. is celebrating its 250th year of independence. And there could be heightened security after the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting Saturday.
While Trump and the King have yet to interact on U.S. soil, the two did meet last year during a UK state visit. And at the time, Trump came under fire for breaking certain protocols that were deemed disrespectful by some.
Trump breaking royal protocol in the past
Trump has been criticized in the past for breaking royal protocol, with the most recent case during his 2025 state visit to the UK.
At one point on the visit, King Charles was seen walking some distance behind Trump, which prompted backlash online. At the time, Narinder Kaur, a former Big Brother star in the U.K., wrote on X, “Oh god..he’s walking infront of the King, like Charles doesn’t even exist or matter!”
Follow-up videos of the interaction show Charles gesturing for Trump to walk ahead, meaning no protocol was broken.
On the same trip, Trump was accused of breaking tradition by slapping Prince William on the arm during a handshake. The move was considered informal, with a more formal greeting being a bow.
Trump made a similar error with Queen Elizabeth on a trip in 2018. In a video that went viral on social media, Trump could be seen walking in front of the Queen on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
What is the etiquette to follow in front of the King or Queen?
While there are no obligatory codes of conduct around the King and Queen, there are certain traditional etiquette rules that most people follow, according to the Royal Family website.
The rules include certain greetings and customs to exhibit when greeting the King and Queen. Men are supposed to neck bow, tilting their head only, while women should curtsy.
On first introduction, new guests should address the King and Queen as “Your Majesty,” and then after can call them “Sir” and “Ma’am.” For other members of the royal family, they should be called “Your Royal Highness” in the first instance, then referred to as “Sir” or “Ma’am.”
There can be some variation in how someone is supposed to walk around the King. Myka Meier, founder of Beaumont Etiquette and American-born star of Bravo’s Ladies of London, told USAToday that arriving somewhere with the King typically involves walking side-by-side or the King leading in front.
Royal commentator Amanda Matta said, however, that these rules usually apply to subjects, meaning they aren’t set in stone for Americans.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
