In an official dispatch addressed to the President of the United States, the King responded to the shooting that took place on Saturday evening during the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
On the evening of Saturday 25 April, an armed man opened fire near the security checkpoint at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was being held at the Washington Hilton. Around 2,600 people were in attendance, including President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance and several members of the cabinet. The President and all the guests were quickly evacuated. A law enforcement officer was struck in his bulletproof vest but suffered no serious injuries. The suspect, identified as a 31-year-old Californian, was arrested at the scene.
“An act of exceptional gravity”
In an official dispatch addressed to Donald Trump, Prince Albert II responded to the incident. “It was with great concern that I learnt of the events that took place last night in Washington, on the fringes of the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” wrote the Sovereign, who expressed “his relief to know that you, alongside the First Lady, as well as all the guests, are safe and sound following this act of exceptional gravity”.
Prince Albert II concluded by extending, “on behalf of the Monegasque community, Princess Charlene and my family”, “our solidarity” to the US President, his wife and the American people. This reaction is part of a wave of messages of solidarity expressed by numerous international leaders, from French President Emmanuel Macron to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who for her part reiterated that “political hatred has no place in our democracies”.
