King Charles, Queen Camilla wrap up US visit with Virginia trip: recap
King Charles III and Queen Camilla have wrapped up their four-day state visit that included a meeting with President Donald Trump and an address to Congress as tensions between the United States and United Kingdom are high over the Iran war.
The royal couple marked America's 250th birthday with stops at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, before traveling to rural Virginia.
The final leg of the royal couple's trip highlighted the king’s long‑standing advocacy for environmental causes, with the couple spending part of the day near Shenandoah National Park for some sightseeing. Charles traveled to the park to learn more about America's public lands, and Camilla visited a Virginia farm to spotlight the horse‑racing industry in the United States.
“As we look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard Nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset,” the king said in his speech to Congress on Tuesday. “Millennia before our nations existed, before any border drawn, the mountains of Scotland and Appalachia were one; a single, continuous range, forged in the ancient collision of continents.”
King Charles waves goodbye
Sarah D. Wire and Christopher Cann
After walking off a helicopter, King Charles III bid farewell to British Ambassador to the U.S. Christian Turner.
A joint-services Honor Guard unit stood nearby, lining a red carpet leading up to the king’s plane.
As a military band performed “God Save the King,” Charles walked down the carpet and nodded at service members standing beneath American and U.K. flags.
Escorting the king was Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley. When he reached the top of the stairs, the king turned and gently waved before entering the plane.
King Charles arrives at Joint Base Andrews
Sarah D. Wire and Christopher Cann
King Charles has arrived for his departure at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, marking the end of his four-day state visit.
Charles arrived at the base just after 4:15 p.m. via a green helicopter from Shenandoah National Park, where he met with park rangers, conservation experts and members of the Monacan Indian Nation.
Meeting local animals
Sarah D. Wire
At King Charles and Queen Camilla's stop in Front Royal, Virginia, they attended a community block party marking America’s upcoming 250th anniversary that included local livestock. Both the king and queen made friends with an unnamed lamb.
King Charles visits Shenandoah National Park
Terry Collins
Before concluding his four-day state visit, King Charles paid a visit to Shenandoah National Park on Thursday, where U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum was there to greet him.
The monarch got a chance to learn more about the U.S. National Park system, its educational programs and the role of park rangers. He also met a bald eagle named Buddy, according to The Independent.
Charles participated in a swearing-in ceremony for a group of Junior Rangers and got to stamp a Park Passport with a stamp specially commissioned for the occasion.
Additionally, the monarch met with members of the Monacan Indian Nation, whose ancestral lands covered much of Western Virginia. Federally recognized, the Monacans remain among the few American sovereign tribes still occupying land in their ancestral homeland.
Trump's parting gift for royals: removing tariffs on whiskey
Francesca Chambers
President Donald Trump gave the royals a parting gift as they wrapped up their U.S. visit.
Trump indicated in a Truth Social post that he was amending a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom to remove a 10% tariff on Scottish whiskey.
"In Honor of the King and Queen of the United Kingdom, who have just left the White House, soon headed back to their wonderful Country, I will be removing the Tariffs and Restrictions on Whiskey having to do with Scotland’s ability to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky on Whiskey and Bourbon, two very important Industries within Scotland and Kentucky," Trump wrote.
Trump added: "People have wanted to do this for a long time, in that there had been great Inter-Country Trade, especially having to do with the Wooden Barrels used. The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the U.S.A."
The trade deal includes a 10% baseline tariff on most British exports with some exceptions.
'250 years, it was time we got back together'
Karissa Waddick
A country song began blaring through speakers in Front Royal as the Virginia town celebrated the king and queen's visit, and local dancers broke out into a jig.
The crowd across the street looked on smiling, lightly waving their flags back and forth as they craned their necks to try and get a glimpse of the king. Asked if the hours-long wait to see the royals was worth it, Sarah Morey, 50, said “absolutely.”
Morey said she’d been a fan ever since she watched King Charles’ wedding to Princess Diana as a young girl.
“250 years, it was time we got back together,” she said. “It was amazing.”
The crowd in the Virginia town cheered one last time as King Charles and Queen Camilla loaded into their vehicles. Nearly as quickly as they arrived, the royal motorcade departed for their next stop.
Business owners, Boy and Girl Scouts and other locals greet Charles and Camilla
Karissa Waddick
King Charles on Thursday spoke with Front Royal merchants, who had tables set up underneath a scenic gazebo in the town square, before he moved on to speak with a group of local veterans.
Marching bands from area schools and cheerleaders paraded down the street, interspersed with fire trucks and classic American cars, like you might see during a homecoming parade.
The king, queen and governor watched and waved. Queen Camilla spoke for several minutes with children in Girl and Boy Scouts. A man behind her in a military uniform held a green box of Thin Mints behind his back.
King Charles greeted with cheers, crowds in Front Royal
Karissa Waddick
The crowd cheered as the king’s black BMW pulled up on the street in Front Royal, Virginia. The band began playing a pulsating country beat as the king stepped out of the car and began greeting people along the security barricade.
Virginia governor arrives in Front Royal
Karissa Waddick
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger arrived in Front Royal in a bright blue suit. The crowd cheered and waved their British and American flags.
Front Royal prepares for very American parade
Karissa Waddick
Patriotic bunting decorated a gazebo in the town square where King Charles will pass during the short, two-block parade.
A band strummed folk tunes as people strained against the metal barricades across the street and waved the Union Jack in anticipation of the king's arrival, still at least an hour away. Some people got here as early as 7 a.m. ET.
What appeared to be an Irish folk dancing group practiced a routine. The girls wore white skirts with red, white and blue petticoats underneath that flapped up as they tapped their toes.
The Front Royal boys' Little League baseball team, which won the state championship last year, milled around the gazebo wearing their maroon uniforms.
King Charles, Queen Camilla view World War I memorial
Christopher Cann
The king and queen viewed the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice, a memorial dedicated to Americans who volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force and lost their lives in World War I.
As they departed, another 21-gun salute rang out.
Royal couple escorted to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Christopher Cann
Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, a senior U.S. Army officer, and Ambassador Monica Crawley escorted the royal couple to the white marble tomb, which has been guarded by members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment every hour of every day, regardless of weather, since 1937.
King Charles laid a wreath of dark red flowers at the base of the memorial. Queen Camilla laid a small, hand-tied bouquet of white flowers.
Charles’ participation in the ceremony was, in part, an ode to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who laid a wreath at the tomb during her first state visit to the U.S. as a monarch in 1957.
A military band then played "four muffled ruffles" and "Taps" before a moment of silence.
The royal couple then went on a tour of the Memorial Amphitheater Display Room at Arlington National Cemetery, which showcases historical artifacts, foreign awards and tributes to the unidentified U.S. soldiers killed in combat.
King Charles, Queen Camilla arrive at Arlington National Cemetery
Christopher Cann
King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. They are walking up toward the tomb, passing ceremonial military units, as a a large Union Jack flag flies behind them.
They were greeted by a 21-gun salute and a rendition of the United Kingdom’s national anthem, "God Save The King." A military band also performed "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Royal couple will lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Christopher Cann
Ceremonial units of every branch of the U.S. military have begun positioning around the steps leading up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, carrying swords, flags and rifles.
Members of the public, meanwhile, began filing into a viewing area just in front of the cemetery’s Memorial Amphitheater.
Some audibly gasped and appeared in shock when it was announced that King Charles III and Queen Camilla would shortly be arriving to lay wreaths at the tomb.
'He's a great king.' Trump greets royals at White House before departure
Zac Anderson
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the White House on the last day of the royals' U.S. visit, with the president declaring "he's a great king."
Reporters asked the king about the favorite part of his visit. He didn't answer. Asked the same question, Trump said "we'll talk later." The couples entered the White House together at 10:53 a.m. ET on a breezy spring day.
The first lady's office said she was wearing a charcoal gray Dior wool pantsuit and black patent leather pumps from Roger Vivier.
King Charles, Queen Camilla to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Christopher Cann
After bidding farewell to President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the White House, King Charles III and Queen Camilla will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring unidentified U.S. service members who have died in combat.
Hosting the ceremony is Maj. Gen. Antoinette Gant, the commanding general of the Joint Task Force–National Capital Region and U.S. Army Military District of Washington.
The king’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited Arlington National Cemetery during her first state trip to the U.S. as monarch in 1957.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was inspired by similar tombs created by Great Britain and France in the aftermath of World War I. Britain’s Unknown Warrior tomb is located in Westminster Abbey in London, and has been visited by multiple U.S. presidents, most recently by Trump in 2019.
Hoping to get a glimpse of the royal couple, about a dozen people showed up several hours before the ceremony was set to begin.
"I’d love to see them," said Shirley Bowers, an Arlington resident from the United Kingdom. She said she has seen the monarchs several times in England.
For the last few days, Bowers said she has been "glued" to her television as she’s followed the king and queen’s first state visit to the U.S.
"I think the ceremonies have been very good. I think he’s had a warm welcome," she said. "The Americans have done them proud."
What’s the significance of Front Royal?
Karissa Waddick
Even people from Front Royal, Virginia questioned Thursday why King Charles decided visit the town on his short four-day journey to the U.S.
Some questioned whether it was because of the town's royal name. The area is believed to have been on the edge of British territory following the French and Indian War in 1763.
Tony Elar, 26, and Carol Jaworski, 64, dressed up in military garb from the time period. Both volunteer in a small company of local re-enactors in their free time.
"This is probably one of the biggest events Front Royal has had the experience of hosting," said Elar, who has lived in Front Royal his entire life. "I’ve been to Windsor Castle in England, so I think it's only fitting that the king comes and visits my hometown."
Thousands line the streets to welcome king and queen
Karissa Waddick
Thousands of people lined up along the sidewalk, stretching multiple city blocks from one stop light to the next for a chance to get inside the security perimeter and watch the king's parade down a short block of the street later today.
Red and blue streamers hung horizontally across the street on the soon to be parade route.
When Chelsea Belew, 34, heard about the visit, she was reminded of the parade scene in "Princess Diaries 2," when Mia Thermopolis, princess of the fictional Genovia, placed tiaras on young girls watching in the crowd. Her two daughters — Paisley, 6, and Paityn, 8 — wore pastel dresses and tiaras to watch the king.
Virginia locals celebrate royal arrival
Karissa Waddick
Folks in Front Royal, Virginia, just on the northern edge of Shenandoah National Park, are buzzing about the king’s visit this afternoon.
Locals put up glittery red, white and blue sign welcoming the royals on a road heading into town.
Outside of the local 7-11, 48-year old Jill King said people had been making memes about the royal visit all week.
"It's exciting to know that they came here, that they came to our town," King said.
She couldn’t get off work at Taco Bell to attend the day's festivities, but said the local daycare and many other businesses closed their doors for the celebration.
Mamdani meets King Charles after Koh-i-Noor diamond remarks
Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Charles and Camilla briefly met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday during the royal couple's visit to the 9/11 Memorial, where they honored the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and met with first responders.
The brief exchange came hours after Mamdani told reporters that he would privately urge the monarch to return the Koh‑i‑Noor to India, a historically disputed diamond held by the British Crown, if given the chance to speak with Charles one‑on‑one.
"If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond," Mamdani, a Muslim born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent, said at the event, Reuters reported.
It was not immediately clear whether Mamdani raised the issue during his brief conversation with the king at the memorial. USA TODAY reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
What did the royals do during their visit to the Big Apple?
Thao Nguyen and KiMi Robinson
Charles and Camilla had a busy day in New York City on Wednesday after spending two days in Washington, DC. They commemorated victims of the 9/11 attacks, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood.
A note accompanying the flowers, in the king's handwriting, read: "We honour the memory of all those who so tragically lost their lives on 11th September 2001, and stand in enduring solidarity with the American people in the face of such profound loss. Charles R Camilla R."
The royal couple later attended several other engagements. Charles visited a grassroots community organization that mentors children and young people affected by food insecurity, while Camilla attended an event celebrating the United States and the United Kingdom’s shared love of literature.
As day turned to night, the royal couple traversed to 20 Rockefeller Plaza to attend the Greater Together Reception at Christie's New York auction house. The gala, in partnership with Charles' charity the King’s Trust, aimed to showcase "the U.K.'s cultural impact on New York through the arts, sports and community initiatives, including the work of King’s Trust America to transform the lives of young people," according to Buckingham Palace.
