The King and Queen arrived in Washington DC for their highly anticipated four-day state visit, with Queen Camilla wearing a brooch symbolising Anglo-American unity. Camilla descended from the aircraft with a brooch on her chest featuring the American stars and stripes crossed with the Union flag.
Significance of the Visit
This visit is the most important foreign trip of King Charles's reign so far, occurring at a pivotal moment for UK-US relations. The relationship between Prime Minister and US President Donald Trump has been fractious, and the monarchy's soft power diplomacy is seen as a key tool to support UK interests abroad. Downing Street hopes that Charles and Camilla can help strengthen the UK-US special relationship.
Assassination Attempt Overshadows Start
The historic trip, Charles's first to America as King, has been overshadowed by an attempted assassination of President Trump on Saturday night at a Washington media dinner. The president was surrounded by Secret Service and bundled from the room. Despite this, the visit proceeded with enhanced security measures.
UK Ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, who replaced Lord Peter Mandelson after his sacking over revelations about his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, confirmed that all appropriate security measures were in place following discussions between UK and US security teams through the night.
Arrival Ceremony
Charles and Camilla received posies from children of British military families based in the US before being greeted by diplomatic, federal, and state representatives. They walked through an honour cordon formed by US military personnel. Camilla wore a pink Dior coat dress and a brooch originally presented to Queen Elizabeth II during her 1957 state visit to America by New York's then-mayor, Robert F Wagner.
The Queen has made three previous official trips to the US with her husband, while Charles has visited 19 times as Prince of Wales. Before leaving Joint Base Andrews, a military band played the national anthems of both nations. The royal motorcade then sped towards the capital's centre, where they were scheduled to meet President Trump and the First Lady for tea.
