UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Sunday he was "shocked" by a shooting at a Washington media gala, adding it was "a huge relief" that President Donald Trump and others were unharmed.

"Any attack on democratic institutions or on the freedom of the press must be condemned in the strongest possible terms," Starmer said on X. 

Starmer sent a message Sunday to Trump "in solidarity for the events that took place", senior minister Darren Jones told UK broadcasters during a round of interviews.

The shooting late Saturday at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Association came less than 48 hours before King Charles III arrives in the US for a state visit.

He will visit Washington and New York during the four-day trip alongside Queen Camilla, which will see the royals have tea with Trump and first lady Melania and attend a state dinner.

Jones said security teams in Britain and the US were "working closely to ensure the security arrangements are put appropriately in place".

"As you would imagine, the government and the palace take the security of His Majesty very seriously, and there were already extensive discussions taking place, which will continue over the coming days," he told Sky News.

© Agence France-Presse