The King and Queen visited
Washington, D.C., New York City, and
Virginia. They stayed at
Blair House, opposite the
White House, known as "The President's Guest House".
27 April (Monday) On 27 April, King Charles and Queen Camilla travelled on the UK Government
Airbus A321LR operated by
Titan Airways to
Joint Base Andrews, a United States military facility in
Prince George's County, Maryland. by
Monica Crowley, the
Chief of Protocol of the United States, then by
Sir Christian Turner, the
British Ambassador to the United States. The royals and the Trumps then had afternoon tea in the
Green Room on the State Floor. The party had 650 guests "representing the connection between the US and UK". During the event, Queen Camilla met representatives from campaign groups against domestic abuse and violence against women, including Sandra Jackson, chief executive of
House of Ruth. There had been calls for the royals to meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but this did not take place "because of concerns about jeopardising the legal processes".
28 April (Tuesday) On 28 April, the Trumps hosted a State Arrival Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House for the King and Queen, featuring military honours by the
US Army Herald Trumpets, the UK and US national anthems by
"The President's Own" US Marine Band, a
21-gun cannon salute by the
Presidential Salute Battery, an inspection of the Troops, a speech delivered by President Trump, and a
flypast. A
state banquet in honour of the King and Queen took place at the White House, with speeches by both the King and the President. Guests included UK Foreign Secretary
Yvette Cooper,
Amazon founder
Jeff Bezos, his wife
Lauren Sanchez Bezos,
Apple CEO
Tim Cook and recent
Masters Tournament winner
Rory McIlroy. The menu for the banquet included a First Course of
Garden vegetable soup and
Hearts of Palm salad, a Second Course of
Herb ravioli filled with
ricotta and
morels, dressed in a
parmesan emulsion, a Third Course of
Dover sole meunière (a pan-fried French fish dish), Potato pavé, Spring ramps,
Snow peas, and a Dessert consisting of a
Flourless chocolate cake (in the shape of a beehive) served with White House honey and ice cream. During his speech, the King gifted the President with an original bell that once hung aboard the
HMS Trump, joking that: "Should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring!"
29 April (Wednesday) On 29 April, the royal couple travelled to New York City, where they visited the
September 11 Memorial, and met first responders and families of victims. Charles and Mayor of New York City
Zohran Mamdani met at the September 11 Memorial. Separately, Mamdani indicated a desire to encourage Charles to return the
Koh-i-Noor diamond, however it is not publicly known if Mamdani discussed the diamond with the King. The Queen attended an event at the
New York Public Library marking the centenary of
Winnie-the-Pooh, with Queen Camilla completing the Library's stuffed toy collection of characters by presenting a specially made toy of
Roo. The collection was originaly owned by
AA Milne's son and inspirtion for
Christopher Robin, Christopher Robin Milne, however according to the Library , Roo was lost in the 1930s in an apple orchard, with the rest the toys touring the US in 1947, and going on display in New York in 1956, and then on display in the Library in 1987. The original Roo was made by
Farnell, which is now part of the toy manufacturer
Merrythought, who were given the request to make the replacement Roo for Queen Camilla's visit to the Library. On her visit, the Queen was joined by
Sarah Jessica Parker,
Anna Wintour, and
Gyles Brandreth for the event. While the Queen was attending the Library's events, the King visited an education and healthy food initiative in Harlem called Harlem Grown, and later attended a UK-US Trade and Business event at the
Rockefeller Center. The King and Queen concluded their day in New York City at
Christie's auction house for a reception held in partnership with the
King's Trust. They were joined by a number of celebrities, including
Lionel Richie, Anna Wintour,
Charlotte Tilbury, and
Donatella Versace. To mark the royal visit, the
Empire State Building was illuminated in the colours of the
Union Jack.
30 April (Thursday) On 30 April, before travelling to Virginia, the King and Queen made their official farewells at the White House to President Trump and the First Lady. At the end of the state visit, Trump stated that "in honor of the King and Queen", he would lift tariffs on Scottish whisky. The couple then visited
Arlington National Cemetery, where they laid a wreath at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a gun salute was fired. The King and Queen travelled to
Front Royal, Virginia, where they attended a block party organised by
America250 that included performances by
Appalachian cultural groups. The King subsequently visited
Shenandoah National Park, while the Queen toured Smitten Farm, a local farm focused on horseracing. After the state visit, Charles departed from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. He travelled alone to
Bermuda for a royal visit, the first of his reign to a
British Overseas Territory. == Gallery ==