A former royal aide has cautioned that protests could cast a shadow over King Charles III’s forthcoming state visit to the United States. Ailsa Anderson, who previously served as press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II, warned that demonstrators could disrupt the diplomatic trip undertaken by the King and Queen Camilla. The royal expert worked for the late monarch for a number of years and was responsible for overseeing communications and media strategy for the Royal Household, affording her considerable expertise in how major royal visits are orchestrated and managed.

Speaking on The Royals podcast about the potential hurdles facing palace officials, she said: "Well, obviously, as you've rightly said, the concerns are going to be protests, potentially by Epstein survivors. There of course is the Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex — dialogue surrounding them. "So we've already seen the King and the Queen and other members of the Royal Family heckled while carrying out official engagements in the UK. I haven't got a crystal ball, but I can almost predict there will be protests while they're there.

"This, of course, is going to take the shine off the work that they want to do — all that soft power, all that trying to build back that special relationship between the US and the UK. What they don't want is a distraction, so that's all going to come into play," reports the Mirror.

The King is anticipated to travel to Washington DC later this month as part of a high-profile state visit hosted by President Donald Trump. According to Buckingham Palace, the visit has been arranged on the advice of the British Government and follows an invitation from the US president. Officials say the trip will celebrate the enduring relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, as both nations commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The King and Queen are due to travel to Washington DC and New York City, where a state banquet at the White House is planned, and he is expected to address Congress.

While Buckingham Palace initially confirmed only that the visit would occur in "late April", President Trump subsequently announced the dates publicly as April 27 to 29. A third destination is also expected to feature in the schedule but has not yet been disclosed.

Following the principal engagements, the Queen is expected to return home, while the King will proceed to Bermuda for a further visit.

The trip arrives at a diplomatically sensitive juncture, following tensions between the US administration and the British Government over the conflict in Iran.

However, political matters are not the sole potential source of controversy. There have also been appeals for the royal couple to meet victims connected to the late financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who previously maintained links to the King's brother, Prince Andrew, Duke of York.

Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, who has pressed for the release of Epstein-related documents, has called on the King to meet survivors during the visit. Royal aides have stated that such a meeting would be out of the question, raising concerns that it could compromise potential investigations on British soil. Andrew was taken into custody in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, but was subsequently released without charge while the inquiry remains ongoing. He has denied any wrongdoing.