While the White House is usually associated with the seriousness of policy debates and press briefings, it swapped out politics for a spectacular night Tuesday. In a rare display of golden diplomacy, President Trump hosted King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a high-stakes state dinner, following Charles’s historic address to Congress on US-UK relations and shared democratic values.
The White House was decorated with an English garden-inspired decor concept, including cherry blossoms, lilacs, and green linens.
Toasts and traditions
Against this spectacular backdrop, the two leaders, King Charles and Donald Trump, exchanged greetings, emphasizing their shared history. Trump described the US–UK bond as “a friendship unlike any other on Earth”, highlighting “the shared commitment of both countries to stand together against the dictatorial forces of communism, fascism and tyranny.”
Trump also raised a toast and paid tribute to King Charles, calling him a “great guy.”
The high-profile state dinner hosted by King Charles coincided with America’s 250th independence anniversary. Trump also thanked Britain for giving “the great gift of a rich heritage to its former colonies.”
King Charles presented Trump with a bell from the World War II-era Royal Navy submarine HMS Trump.
night of high spirits
Apart from shared commitments and compliments, lighter moments in the form of jokes also dominated the state dinner. King Charles displayed his wit by quipping that the dinner was a “thought-provoking improvement” on the historic protests of 1773.
Donald Trump also joked about how successfully King delivered his speech to Congress.
Trump quipped, “I want to congratulate Charles on giving a great speech in Congress today. He put the Democrats up, I could never do that and I couldn’t believe it.”
“They liked him more than any Republican or Democrat, so I really want to congratulate King,” the president said.
The star-studded guest list included Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, along with Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Marc Andreessen and many others from the judiciary, media, sports, politics and business sectors.
The menu for the lavish evening was also finalized by Melania Trump and was “American in origin”. Starters included Garden Herb Veloute and Hearts of Palm Salad. The main course included Dover sole meunier with brown butter and a beehive-shaped chocolate gateau as dessert.
On the third day, the royal couple will travel to New York City to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial to honor the victims of the 2001 attacks, specifically the memory of the 67 British citizens who lost their lives.
