King Charles, Queen Camilla will make state visit to US in April
King Charles III and Queen Camilla bid farewell to President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu as they depart from Windsor Castle, March 19, 2026 in Windsor, England. (Aaron Chown/Wpa Pool/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — King Charles and Queen Camilla will make an official state visit to the U.S. this spring, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday.
The British royals are embarking on the trip to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and were invited by President Donald Trump, according to the palace.
In a social media post, Trump said the royal visit will take place April 27-30. It will include a banquet dinner at the White House on Tuesday, April 28, he noted.
After visiting the U.S., Charles will also visit Bermuda, a British overseas territory, making his first visit to the island as monarch.
Queen Elizabeth II made the last state visit to the U.S. in May 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia.
Charles and Camilla‘s visit comes during a tense period amid the ongoing U.K. police inquiry into the Jeffrey Epstein files and the Iran war.
It is unclear if Charles will visit with his second son, Prince Harry, who lives in California with his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex and their two children.
A view of the scene after a crane being used to build a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a passenger train killing at least 12 injuring 30 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand on January 14, 2026 (Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — At least 32 people were killed on Wednesday as a construction crane for a high-speed rail bridge collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Thailand, government officials said.
At least 64 others were injured, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said in a statement. Thirty-one of those who were killed were pronounced dead at the scene, the ministry said, adding that another person died as they were being transferred to a hospital.
The crane crashed onto the train at about 9 a.m. as the train traveled between the Nong Nam Khun and Sikhiu stations, in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.
“Train derailed and caught fire. 30+ passengers injured, many trapped in carriages,” the government said in an initial statement posted on social media. “Multiple rescue teams deployed.”
The train, which had departed from Bangkok, was carrying 195 passengers and staff members, according to the State Railway of Thailand.
“These figures are currently being verified and officially confirmed by the relevant agencies on the ground,” the minister said in Thai in a statement posted to social media.
The health ministry raised that figure again, saying several hours later that at least 22 people had been killed. The ministry in a subsequent update at about 4:30 p.m. said the toll had again climbed, hitting 31. The ministry said two hours later that the death toll at the scene had risen by one, adding that three people were also considered missing.
The bodies of the dead were transferred to Sikhiu Hospital, the ministry said, adding that many of the injured were being treated at several local hospitals. Eleven were still hospitalized as of the 4:30 p.m. update, the ministry said.
The train was listed as the Special Express Train No. 21, which connects Bangkok, the capital, with Ubon Ratchithani, a city in the northeast, according to the railway.
Lord Peter Mandelson leaving his home in Wiltshire. Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images
(LONDON) — Lord Peter Mandelson has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, police said Monday.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police issued a statement, saying, “Officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday and has been taken to a London police station for interview. This follows search warrants at two addresses in the Wiltshire and Camden areas.”
Mandelson is a former U.K. ambassador to the United States.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the traditional Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 20, 2025, in Windsor, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to share sensitive information stemming from his role as the UK trade envoy with Jeffrey Epstein and appeared to discuss potential business dealings with the late sex offender while working for the British government, emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice suggest.
Emails sent by Mountbatten-Windsor show the former prince passing along what he described as “confidential information” stemming from his government role to Epstein. Other emails – including some sent by his former liaison – suggest that Mountbatten-Windsor discussed Epstein’s connections in his personal dealings.
British police on Thursday arrested Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest comes amid mounting criticism of Mountbatten-Windsor’s longtime relationship with the disgraced financier who died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019.
Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any wrongdoing with respect to Epstein. The former prince, whose royal title was revoked last year by his brother, King Charles III, has not been charged with any sex crimes.
While serving as trade envoy in 2010, Mountbatten-Windsor directly emailed Epstein information about investment opportunities in Afghanistan. The information appeared to stem directly from his work as a public official, according to emails reviewed by ABC News.
“I am going to offer this elsewhere in my network (including Abu Dhabi) but would be very interested in your comments, views or ideas as to whom I could also usefully show this to attract some interest,” Mountbatten-Windsor stated to Epstein in a December 2010 email, forwarding a “confidential brief” about investment opportunities in Afghanistan.
In another email a month earlier, Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein multiple reports from his recent trip to South Asia as trade envoy.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s liaison David Stern also shared potentially sensitive information with Epstein related to British companies Aston Martin and Royal Bank of Scotland, according to emails released by the DOJ. Based on publicly available emails, it is unclear whether Mountbatten-Windsor knew that Stern was sharing the information with Epstein.
ABC News has so far been unable to contact Stern. The University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School confirmed that Stern resigned with immediate effect from his position as a board member.
Liaison attempted to involve Epstein in private business dealings
Stern discussed opening a private investment office with Epstein that would leverage the former prince’s “aura and access,” according to a series of emails between Stern and Epstein while Mountbatten-Windsor was serving as a trade envoy.
“We set up small investment highly private office in London with small outpost in Beijing, for high net worth individuals – targeting Chinese (but not exclusively) that works like an extended family office,” Stern wrote in a July 2010 email.
“We very discreetly make PA part of it and use his ‘aura and access’, you make/decide on the investments and I manage the day to day operations,” Stern added. In multiple emails, Prince Andrew is referred to as “PA.”
Though Mountbatten-Windsor is not on the emails, he is repeatedly referenced, and Stern appears to speak on his behalf.
“Informed PA that you are thinking about the company set up and I will wait for your feedback before taking action,” Stern told Epstein in a June 2010 email.
The plans discussed between the two are not believed to have been carried out.
In a later email, Stern told Epstein he wanted the firm to focus on “big money and power (including access to power globally – see PA).”
Emails released by the DOJ suggest that Epstein and Stern actively discussed a business opportunity at length between 2010 and 2011.
Mountbatten-Windsor appeared to connect Epstein with UAE crown prince
Mountbatten-Windsor also appeared to connect Epstein with some government officials while serving as a trade envoy.
In a November 2010 email, Mountbatten-Windsor said that he spoke with UAE foreign affairs minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan about a meeting with Epstein. Earlier emails also suggested that Mountbatten-Windsor consulted with Epstein about how to approach the conversations.
“He thinks you are great and would like to introduce you to Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince. Doesn’t think it can be done before the end of the year though,” Mountbatten-Windsor said.
Epstein then asked Mountbatten-Windsor to ask for a “date when we can all go on vacation.”
Epstein appeared to offer Mountbatten-Windsor investing advice
In a May 2010 email, Mountbatten-Windsor suggested that he consulted Epstein on how to invest through a trust while serving as a trade envoy.
“Re our conversation earlier this week: so long as I delegate any responsibility to invest then there are no problems,” Mountbatten-Windsor said. “So Trusts are delegated responsibility as to are any Banks or Investment Vehicles or for that matter Trusted individuals.”
