US4 min(s) read
Published 11:51 28 Apr 2026 GMT
A lip reader has claimed Melania Trump made her feelings clear about King Charles' state visit with a simple three-word remark.
The King and Queen Camilla arrived in Washington, D.C. on Monday (April 27) to begin their three-day state visit to the United States, with President Donald Trump and the First Lady greeting them at the White House’s South Portico.
The visit went ahead despite Saturday night's shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen opened fire near a security checkpoint before being subdued by agents.
Buckingham Palace confirmed the trip would proceed with only minor changes to the itinerary, while the King was said to be "greatly relieved" that the 79-year-old president escaped the incident unharmed.
As the royal couples met outside the White House, professional lip reader Jeremy Freeman claimed the 77-year-old king greeted Melania warmly, appearing to say: "Oh, it's so nice to see you," The Mirror reported.
The 56-year-old reportedly replied: "So pleased to see you," before making her feelings about the visit clear with a simple comment: "I'm really delighted."
The interaction came as the two couples posed for pictures before heading inside for tea, followed by a garden party attended by guests.
There was also a small protocol-breaking moment as Trump turned toward the White House and tapped the King on the shoulder, a gesture often viewed as breaching the unwritten royal rule against initiating physical contact.
Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail: "This touch on the arm as they walked in also looked like a more political gesture."
"It was also the first real gesture of active, 'special' friendship here from a rather more subdued Trump than the very effusive rituals we saw during their last meeting [in September 2025]," James added.
She added the King did not appear bothered by the move. "Charles has always seemed more relaxed about that than his mother [Queen Elizabeth II], and Trump's gesture was extremely tempered for Trump," the expert continued. "Just a light, tentative, and rather polite touch to steer Charles inside."
While the public greeting looked warm, another expert claimed the King may have been carrying concerns linked to the attempted assassination.
Body language expert Bruce Durham told The Mirror that Charles looked distracted during parts of the welcome and may have been showing signs of unease.
"What’s really interesting here is there’s a deviation in King Charles’s behaviour," he said. "King Charles is ingrained in, conditioned in, and brought up in formal displays of royal behaviour."
"Protocol, etiquette - call it what you want. It has been King Charles’s full life of how to behave, how to act, when to speak, and when to be silent."
Bruce pointed to one moment where the king lowered his head while Camilla greeted Trump, describing it as "the tortoise effect".
"This is exactly what we do when we have either fear, doubt, or a lack of self-confidence," he explained. "There is no reason for Charles to put his head down. He has been in this engagement many times before."
He suggested the recent shooting may have been on the monarch’s mind. "He may be uncomfortable, perhaps thinking - logically - that there could be a shooter in the crowd.”
He added: "Shortly after this, you see Charles perform a self-soothe with his left hand on his thigh. That is to tell himself that he’s OK.”
"Then, when they are just about to turn and walk into the White House, you see Charles start to become more like the King Charles that we know and are familiar with."
"It would be logical to think of the recent shooting. His baseline behaviour had changed. Charles has done this thousands of times, so the change? The answer could be fear," he added.
Allen appeared in court on Monday (April 27), charged with attempting to assassinate the president, along with weapons offenses. He did not enter a plea, BBC News reported.
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