The King and Queen began their US visit with a warm welcome from President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. Photo / Getty Images
After all the rhetoric, the insults and the would-be assassination of the President of the United States, the American state visit is finally underway.
The King and Queen, who was wearing an ornate pin featuring the flags of both countries that glinted in the sunshine, stepped out on to the tarmac of a Washington DC air base and into a charm offensive hosted by the Trumps.
The President and Melania Trump, the first lady, welcomed their royal guests into the White House for tea, gave them a tour of their beehives and kept the King and Queen so entertained that their schedule drastically overran from the moment they met.
A cup of tea (Earl Grey or Royal Blend) pencilled in for half an hour in the Green Room overran to more than 45 minutes, with a butler pouring into delicate cups while the quartet kept up an animated conversation.
They spent another 20 minutes talking about bees, honey and gardens in an unexpected meeting of minds in the White House garden.
Some 250 years after American independence, when the people of the former colony said goodbye to the King’s great-great-great-great-great-grandfather George III, the British have come again.
It was a gentle start to what may prove a taxing four days. The niceties belied the complications that have led up to this most testing of tours. The King has been tasked with charming Donald Trump, who calls him a friend, once again.
In recent weeks the President has hurled insults at Britain and Sir Keir Starmer, its Prime Minister, after disagreements over the war in Iran. There is a perceived threat to the Falklands, and protesters are planning to disrupt the trip to call for justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
A last-minute security scare, in which a gunman attempted to shoot the President during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, has overshadowed the final days before the visit, raising questions about the safety of such high-profile guests.
The message from the Palace has been to “keep calm and carry on”. The “ring of steel”, as it is known in some quarters, is in place nonetheless. As is so often the case on royal tours, the noise faded away once it had started.
Calm and smiling, the King and Queen were welcomed to the US at the Joint Base Andrews military airport on Tuesday, as protocol dictates.
They landed in a British Government plane, Union flag emblazoned on its tail and wing tips and two flags – the Royal Standard and the stars and stripes of the US – flying from the cockpit.
There was some small talk to make, posies to be accepted, and a moment to stand for the national anthems before climbing into a blacked-out car in a 29-vehicle convoy as American security requires.
With a brief stop to change at Blair House, the presidential guest home within the cordon of the White House, the King and Queen were whisked straight to the photo call of the day, with the Trumps outside the White House.
The Queen, who had been wearing pink Dior at the airport as well as a pinned brooch made for Elizabeth II in 1957, had swapped outfits to be in white chiffon by the time she met the first lady.
The President stepped forward to greet the King. There were kisses on the cheek, and a few seconds trying to work out where the quartet would stand for an official picture to mark the moment.
Posing for photographers for nearly a minute, Trump leaned in to make small talk with the King, pointing out landmarks including a tree planted by Elizabeth II during her visit in 1991. As they walked inside, Trump patted the King firmly on the shoulder.
The tea was private, save for a few photographs.
The first lady, who has overseen much of the planning, was keen to show the royal couple the beehives outside on the South Lawn, near the Kitchen Garden.
The King and Queen, who often wears a bee brooch, each have their own hives at their homes of Highgrove and Ray Mill as well as at Buckingham Palace.
There was little opportunity to talk politics: there will be a full day of it tomorrow with speeches and a “bi-lat” meeting for the two men.
By the evening, Charles and Camilla had made their way to the British ambassador’s residence for a garden party. Mimicking the best of British entertaining, 650 guests, including Tom Daley, the Olympic diver, were offered four varieties of sandwiches, scones and miniature cakes as well as Hambledon sparkling wine.
Instructions on the invitation that “hats are not encouraged” have caused much amusement in Capitol Hill circles. If day one of the trip is about soft power – American hospitality with a British twist – then day two will see the King get down to business in earnest.
He will speak in Congress and at a black-tie dinner at the White House, where he will exchange compliments with Trump as well as making tactful points about the need to work together.
A quarter of a millennium after America declared its independence, the King will speak of friendship and family, with a few jokes thrown in over dinner as is his style.
His mother, the late Queen, met 13 Presidents and steered the transatlantic relationship from World War II to the modern day. The King now has a chance to make his own mark – with bees and cucumber sandwiches along the way.
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