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King Charles and Queen Camilla touched down in Washington, D.C. today, April 27, for their first state visit as British monarchs. Their visit coincides with America’s Semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250th anniversary. Unlike the six-day, seven-state grand tour Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, made 50 years ago for the bicentennial, Charles and Camilla’s visit will last four days. Still, the royal pair is keeping things booked and busy throughout the week, with back-to-back engagements in New York City, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Here’s where you can expect them to be over the next few days.
April 27: Washington, D.C.
Charles and Camilla will start their visit in the nation’s capital. Per an official briefing from the Office of the First Lady, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome the royal pair with tea in the White House’s Green Room before taking the monarchs on a tour of the expanded White House Beehive.
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The newly expanded White House Beehive on the South Lawn of the White House.
April 28: Washington, D.C.
His and Her Royal Majesties will return to the White House Tuesday morning, April 28, for a State Arrival Ceremony. Fifty years ago, Queen Elizabeth gave then-President Gerald Ford a soup tureen painted with the seals of the President and the Queen. A similar gifting ceremony will also take place this trip with the British monarchs and the President and First Lady in the White House Blue Room.
From there, Charles and Camilla separate for different engagements. The Office of the First Lady states Queen Camilla and Melania will host a “cross-cultural educational event” at the White House Tennis Pavilion, where American students will use virtual reality headsets and AI-enabled glasses to learn about the United Kingdom and American history.
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Queen Elizabeth addressing Congress in 1991. She was the first British monarch to do so.
Meanwhile, CBS News states that King Charles and President Trump will hold a bilateral meeting, after which Charles will address a joint session of Congress. This will mark only the second time a British monarch has addressed Congress on the Hill. The first and last address was given by Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 1991. The second day will end with a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House.
April 29: New York City
The King and Queen will head to New York City for the third day of their tour. According to USA Today, the two will start by paying their respects at the 9/11 Memorial and meeting with families of those who died in the attacks, as the 9/11 25th anniversary approaches. Charles and Camilla will once again separate for various charity engagements, before meeting up again for a reception in honor of Charles’s youth charity, the King’s Trust.
April 30: Virginia
Charles and Camilla will head to Virginia for their final day to celebrate community and environmentalism. According to Today, Charles will visit a national park in the state, where he’ll speak with an indigenous group about conservation. Together, the King and Queen will also visit with locals, watch performances by Appalachian cultural groups, and even attend a “block party” to celebrate America’s 250th. Per the Office of the First Lady, the monarchs will briefly return to D.C. to be seen off by the President and First Lady before heading off to Bermuda for their next trip.