As he jetted off on his monogrammed plane bound for Bermuda, last night was a wrap on King Charles’s first state visit to the United States as monarch.
“We leave a piece of our [heart emoji] behind and take a little of yours back home with us,” a farewell social media post signed by the King and Queen Camilla said. “Until next time …”
Yesterday’s engagements — laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, bringing a quiche to a block party to celebrate America’s 250th, meeting a bald eagle at Shenandoah National Park — capped four days of high stakes soft diplomacy for the 77-year-old.
King Charles is immediately off to a state visit to Bermuda, also his first to that country as monarch. In the longer term, this splashy overseas tour kicks off the busy summer season for the royals, with tent-pole events like Royal Ascot and Trooping the Colour lined up for June.
Here are the 5 biggest moments and takeaways from the U.S. visit.
1. The King’s tour was a full-force royal charm offensive
The King undertook the visit at the request of the British government at a time when the so-called “special relationship” between the countries was under serious strain: Donald Trump had openly derided Britain’s refusal to participate in his Iran war, mocked its military capabilities and called Prime Minister Keir Starmer “no Winston Churchill.”
Cue the royals, entering the fray armed with soft-power skills and meaningful gifts, like the stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh-character toy the Queen presented to the New York Public Library and the naval bell from the Royal Submarine HMS Trump His Majesty gifted directly to the president.
In a history-making speech to Congress, His Majesty praised what he calls “the eternal bond” between the two countries, underscoring the four centuries of shared history and values, and expressing “the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States.” He praised the “unique” trans-Atlantic alliance, underscoring its 400-year history, adding that “our countries have always found ways to come together.”
The charm also took shape in the King’s flexing of his comedic chops. At a state dinner in the royals’ honour on Tuesday night, His Majesty’s speech included jokes about the War of 1812 — where he likened Trump’s new ballroom to the time British troops burned down the White House — and a joking reminder that as King of Canada, he and Trump will both be watching the upcoming FIFA World Cup as fellow heads of state.
2. Despite the friendly tone, the King’s speech included subtle critiques
What was most striking, however, was that the King’s speech was not without bite. It featured several headline-grabbing warnings to America. Nodding back to values that the Founding Fathers took from the Magna Carta, he noted, “the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances.”
In his most direct caution to the country — and possibly his host, President Trump — he said: “America’s words carry weight and meaning, as they have since independence. The actions of this great nation matter even more.”
He also pointed out that, contrary to the president’s claims that NATO allies have failed to come to America’s aid, “in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article Five for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together.”
3. President Trump was enraptured
Based on his own feedback, President Trump was thoroughly charmed by his royal visitors.
In his welcome remarks, he even called the King “cute” while telling an anecdote about his Scottish-born mother’s affection for the royals when he was growing up. “I remember her saying very clearly ‘Charles, look young Charles, he is so cute’,” the president said, a slightly embarrassed-looking King laughing behind him.“My mother had a crush on Charles — can you believe it?”
At the state dinner, he congratulated the King on his “fantastic” speech to Congress, which was received with standing applause from both sides of the aisle.“He got the Democrats to stand — I’ve never been able to do that.” At other points in the visit, he confessed envy about the royal’s “beautiful accent,” called him “my friend” and praised his elegance.
“He’s a great king,” said Trump at the official White House send-off yesterday. “The greatest king, in my book.”
Shortly after the couple left, he announced that “in honour of the King and Queen” he was removing tariffs on Scottish whisky. On Truth Social, he added: “The King and Queen got me to do something that nobody else was able to do, without hardly even asking! A wonderful Honor to have them both in the U.S.A.”
In return for the dropped tariffs, Buckingham Palace thanked him for the “warm gesture,” and added that the King would be “raising a dram to the President’s thoughtfulness and generous hospitality.”
4. The visit was mostly hailed as a success
Whether the warm glow of the visit will impact international relations remains to be seen. For now, the King seems to be getting strong reviews for a mission accomplished.
On the ground, there was visible excitement at the royal visit, with Union Jack-waving crowds gathering at the couple’s public appearances. In the press, the reception was also broadly positive.
“This has played just as Buckingham Palace and the UK government had hoped…He made his point without obviously upsetting his host,” wrote the BBC’s senior royal correspondent Daniela Relph. “The president’s love for the Royal Family seems undiminished.”
Pundits like royal biographer Andrew Lownie, called the King’s speech “the best defense of the monarchy in years.” A former presidential speech writer, Ted Widmer, wrote in the Guardian that the royals “managed to avoid all mines in their path…and deftly repair the ‘special relationship.’ For another few weeks anyway.”
There are critics, of course. Rep. Ro Khanna, who called for the King to meet with a group of Epstein survivors while he was in the U.S., said that it was “very disappointing” that he ultimately chose not to do so.
5. The itinerary did not include a meeting with Prince Harry or Meghan Markle
While it’s (remotely) possible that they managed to meet privately, this royal visit stateside does not seem to have included time with the U.S.-based arm of the Windsor family. This is despite the fact that, as far as the public is aware, Prince Harry and King Charles last saw each other in September for an hour; the monarch has also only met his half-American grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, a handful of times.
This isn’t necessarily a snub: The King has a track record of wanting to separate official business and private affairs, and it is unlikely that the palace would want any kind of public reunion between distant father and son to detract from the visit.
