WASHINGTON (WHDH) - King Charles and Queen Camilla landed at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland Monday for their visit with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House.
The couple was greeted on the tarmac by United States’ military bands playing both the United States and the British national anthems, as well as dignitaries from both countries. Other local, state, and federal officials were also in attendance. Children of British military personnel handed out pansy flowers to the royal couple as they arrived.
The President and the First Lady greeted the royal couple at the South Portico of the White House Monday afternoon, where they went inside for tea and then visited the White House bee hives. The First Lady just added a new bee hive in the shape of the White House.
King Charles keeps bees on his estate as part of his interest in conservation. Queen Camilla is a patron of a charity called Bees for Development.
The palace discussed security concerns following the attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday, but said the trip will go forward as planned.
“These are very special times for our special relationship, and I think that if there’s anyone who is suited to really approach the situation in a diplomatic manner it is King Charles 110 percent,” said Kathryn LaMontagne, a Royal Expert. “And there’s a lot of pressure on him from home on how he handles this, and everyone is certainly watching to see how he handles it.”
Security is tighter than usual for the visit, with fencing and jersey barriers put out on Pennsylvania Avenue overnight in addition to the already tight security around the White House.
There was some speculation the royals might stay at Blair House, the official residence for the royals’ level of visitors, but President Trump said they will be staying at the White House itself.
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Trump answered questions about security concerns, saying the White House is as safe a place as can be.
The King and Queen will attend tea at the White House on Monday afternoon. King Charles will also address a joint session of Congress just as his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, did 45-years ago.
There will also be a State Dinner at the White House, and the King and Queen will visit New York City later this week to attend ceremonies at the 9-11 Memorial and meet first responders. They will also attend a King’s Trust Reception.
King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted President Trump last year after Charles’ coronation.
This return visit has been planned for months, before recent tensions between Trump and the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the war in Iran. President Trump told the BBC the King’s visit could help with that relationship.
The King traditionally stays out of politics, but is expected to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. Independence, talking about the common goals and common bonds the two nations share.
“In many ways, America to Americans seems like we were the biggest loss for them, but for the Brits we were just another one of the colonies,” said LaMontagne. “They controlled the earth’s surface. Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves, so, we’re not as big of a deal to them as they are to us. But the special relationship that we’ve had you, know, effectively since then, but then in 1946 with Winston’s Churchill’s speech in Fulton, Missouri, it became kind of cemented in our psyches that we have this kind of relation. So that relationship we want to continue, but it is trickier in certain time more than others to maintain it, and maintain the peace that goes with it.”
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