Queen Camilla sent a powerful message of Anglo-American unity through her carefully chosen designer outfit as she and King Charles commenced their historic US state visit yesterday. Her Majesty radiated elegance in a new candy floss Dior coat dress upon disembarking the plane in Washington to begin their four-day trip aimed at reinforcing strained transatlantic ties.
Symbolic Fashion Choices
The striking dress was a particularly poignant selection given that the designer fashion label is greatly admired by First Lady Melania Trump, suggesting the Queen sought to connect with the First Lady's personal style preferences. Fastened to Camilla's baby pink dress was a Cartier brooch adorned with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Combining the British and American flags, this remarkable brooch is known as the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes brooch.
The historic item was originally gifted to the late Queen Elizabeth II by the former Mayor of New York City in 1957 during her first state visit to the US as Queen. A key piece of diplomatic jewellery, the brooch symbolises the 'special relationship' and strong sense of unity shared between the UK and US, as well as the Royal Family's commitment to furthering that alliance during this trip.
Accessories and Tribute
Paying tribute to the late monarch, Camilla, 78, attached the royal heirloom to her striking jacket, while accessorising with her effortless wedding pearl pendant earrings, valued at an estimated £38,000. The set of timeless earrings were first debuted on her wedding day in 2005 and have often been selected by the monarch for public engagements, showcasing a single round diamond surrounded by a sparkling cluster.
For the afternoon activities, Camilla wore a bespoke Anna Valentine dress with black embroidery. The renowned British designer is beloved by Camilla and was selected to design her pale blue hand-embroidered wedding dress. She paired her striking white outfit with a Bottega Veneta andiamo bag, bespoke beige suede Elliot Zed shoes, and her wedding pearl pendant earrings. In keeping with reinforcing the public display of Anglo-American unity, Camilla once again fastened the historic Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes brooch to her dress.
White House Welcome
Just hours after touching down at Joint Base Andrews, Their Majesties were driven in a motorcade to the White House, where US President Donald Trump and Melania greeted them with friendly kisses and hearty handshakes. Breaking from tradition, both Camilla and Melania opted to wear designers from their own countries. However, their choice of bright colours suggested a sense of optimism amid the start of a historic visit to reinforce Anglo-American ties.
First Lady Melania, meanwhile, opted for a bespoke double-breasted buttercup yellow skirt suit by Adam Lippes with snakeskin Manolo Blahnik pumps that are a key part of her wardrobe. That afternoon, Charles and Camilla had afternoon tea in the Green Room with Donald Trump and Melania Trump and were taken to the garden to see a newly-expanded beehive, rebuilt in the shape of a miniature White House.
Garden Party at the British Embassy
To round up their packed first day of the US visit, the royal couple hosted a lavish garden party for 650 guests at the British Embassy in Washington, where they met with a cross-section of British and American figures. In traditional garden party fare, guests were treated to 3,000 handmade sandwiches including Scottish smoked salmon, roast beef and horseradish sandwiches using imported British cuts brought in under new tariff-free treaties, egg mayonnaise, and lightly pickled cucumber, followed by scones.
Guests included Olympic diver and celebrity knitter Tom Daley as well as football ace Esme Morgan, a Lionesses World Cup winning star who plays for Washington Spirit. Among the political figures there were Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, Senator Ted Cruz, former speaker Nancy Pelosi and current speaker of the house Mike Johnson. Prince William's old school friend, Guy Pelly, who now lives in the US, was also in attendance.
Daley, 31, who now lives in LA with his husband and two children, jetted in for the day to attend the garden party. He said: 'Knitting is my outlet for all my creativity, my mindfulness and my meditation and the King has tried knitting many a time. He said he tried knitting when he was eight and he wasn't very good but he said he might pick it back up – he knows it's very good for mental health. But I want to try and get it back into the school curriculum and maybe he can help me do that.'
Commemorative Time Capsule
Before joining the garden, the King and Queen saw a time capsule created to mark America's 250th anniversary celebrations this year. They placed a commemorative coin made specially for the occasion by the Royal Mint into the capsule, a proclamation from the King and essays written by local Washington school children, inside. It will be placed under the Washington Monument on the capital city's National Mall later this year to be opened when the US marks 500 years of independence. The capsule will be twinned with another, which was placed under the statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square, London, last June.
Before the garden party began, Camilla confessed she was 'quite jet lagged'. Earlier in the day, Charles and Camilla had been formally welcomed by Trump and the First Lady at the White House, where the two couples exchanged warm greetings before retreating inside for private talks over tea. The meeting – deliberately kept away from cameras – marked the opening of the King's first US state visit of his reign, a four-day tour seen as pivotal for the so-called 'special relationship'.
The high-stakes trip comes against the backdrop of recent tensions, with Trump having criticised the UK government's foreign policy stance and openly clashed with Sir Keir Starmer. Despite this, the President has described Charles as 'my friend' and a 'brave' man, signalling a willingness to use the visit to strengthen ties.
Charity Engagement
Queen Camilla also used the event as an opportunity to meet with representatives from four Washington DC child exploitation and domestic violence charities. Buckingham Palace has said King Charles and Camilla are not able to meet victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein during their four-day visit due to ongoing legal cases including the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Speaking to the representatives for domestic violence and child exploitation charities, Camilla said: 'Nice to meet you, wish we had longer to talk.'
