King Charles III, Queen Camilla conclude US state visit
Charles and Camilla visited two states and Washington, D.C., over four days.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla concluded their first-ever state visit to the United States on Thursday, wrapping up a whirlwind four days that took them to Washington, D.C., New York City and Virginia.
The royals' visit took place amid significant strains between the U.K. and the U.S. over the war in Iran. It also happened under the shadow of Charles' brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's connection to the ongoing Epstein scandal.
Charles took Washington by storm, delivering a rare joint address to Congress and garnering good cheer with his toast at a White House state dinner. In New York City, the king and queen mixed with celebrities and locals alike before traveling to Virginia to celebrate America's 250th birthday.
Scroll below to see how the visit unfolded.
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Charles, Camilla to visit Virginia in final day of US trip
The king and queen will spend most of the final day of their four-day state visit to the U.S. in the state of Virginia.
After a farewell meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, Charles and Camilla will travel to Arlington National Cemetery, where they will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.
Charles and Camilla will then make the short trip to Virginia, where they will attend a block party for America’s 250th birthday celebration and visit both a national park and a horse-racing farm.
From there, Charles will board a flight to Bermuda, wrapping up a very busy four days.
Charles and Camilla finish New York trip with King's Trust dinner
The king and queen wrapped up their time in New York with a dinner at Christie’s in New York City for the Greater Together Reception which is held in partnership with the King's Trust.
Attending the dinner were cultural figures including Anna Wintour, Charlotte Tilbury, Donatella Versace, Edward Enninful, Iman, Karen Elson, Katherine Jenkins, Leo Woodall, Lionel Richie, Martha Stewart, Meghann Fahy, Nina Dobrev, Pat McGrath, Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren, according to reporters who are traveling with the king and queen.
The King's Trust charity in America works with young people to develop employment training.
Ambassador Christian Turner, Lionel Richie and the king shared remarks at the event, according to a pool report.
Charles meets with top business leaders
Charles went from gardening with children to meeting with top CEOs Wednesday in New York City.
At an afternoon reception held on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center, Charles met with leaders of companies including Bank of America, Blackstone, JP Morgan, Comcast, Citigroup and Alphabet.
The king shook hands with the business leaders and talked to them about their careers and how they’re investing in the U.K., according to reporters traveling with him.
Charles then went onto a bigger meeting with 50 more executives who snacked on canapes and ice tea and wine while they spoke with the king about their work in areas including technology, healthcare, financial services and more.
Camilla talks books with Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Wintour
Camilla was joined by a star-studded lineup at a solo event held at the New York Public Library Wednesday.
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, singer Katherine Jenkins and authors Min Jin Lee and Harlan Coben were among the luminaries who gathered with Camilla at an event to promote her charity, the Queen’s Reading Room, which celebrates the power of reading.
“The first Americans, I met in life were the characters I met in my treasured childhood novels,” Camilla said in her remarks, according to reporters traveling with the queen. “I knew even then, the books are best friends you can have, in good times and bad.”
She continued, “As many of us long suspected, books really are good for us. They also have a magic way of bringing people together with the ability to transcend any barrier."