King Charles III State Visit: Trump Lifts Scotch Whisky Tariffs, Praises 'Greatest King' in US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal Progress

King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House on May 1, 2026 for a state visit — the first by a British monarch in decades. Trump announced the removal of US tariffs on Scotch whisky and UK-produced whisky 'in honour' of the royal couple, calling Charles 'the greatest king' and posting on Truth Social: 'The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking!' The US had imposed a 10% tariff on most UK goods following the February 2026 IEEPA Supreme Court ruling that restructured the tariff regime; Scotch was scheduled to rise to 25% in June when an earlier trade agreement window expired. The Scotch Whisky Association had reported a 15% drop in export volume to the US since the tariffs took effect. The whisky concession was announced as part of ongoing US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal negotiations, which also cover preferential access for UK beef and ethanol exports and a recent pharmaceutical pricing reciprocity agreement. The state dinner was held at the White House. Trump and King Charles discussed trade, the Iran war, and UK-US 'special relationship' defense cooperation. The visit was notably warmer than Trump's first-term interactions with the British royal family.