Washington (United States) (AFP) – King Charles III paid respects to fallen US troops at a military cemetery on Thursday, the final day of a state visit aimed at healing ties between Britain and the United States strained by the war in Iran. By all accounts, the four-day visit has been a success, with President Donald Trump serving as solicitous host-in-chief who kicked off the monarch’s stay with a pomp-filled welcome and lavish white-tie banquet at the White House.
“He’s a great king — the greatest king, in my book,” Trump told reporters as Charles and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House for a brief farewell ceremony under bright spring sunshine on Thursday morning. As the royal couple drove off following handshakes and a bit of chat, Trump added: “Great people. We need more people like that in our country.”
Charles and Camilla then visited Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, where they laid a wreath and flowers at the hilltop Tomb of the Unknown Soldier honoring America’s unidentified war dead. The pair stood solemnly as a bugler played “Taps,” before visiting the adjacent display room of military exhibits and artifacts. Next on the agenda was a “block party” to mark 250 years since American independence from Britain and meetings with Native Americans at a national park, before departing for the British island territory of Bermuda in the Atlantic.
– Light moments –
The centerpiece of the whirlwind trip was Charles’s speech Tuesday to the US Congress, the first by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991. The address was warmly received, even as Charles ranged over subjects from climate change and the need for restraints on presidential power to the importance of NATO and defense of Ukraine — sensitive issues for Trump’s ruling Republicans. The 77-year-old monarch skirted around tensions between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer over Britain’s refusal to join the war against Iran, insisting the partnership between the two countries was “born out of dispute, but no less strong for it.”
The royals visited New York on Wednesday, where they stopped at the 9/11 memorial and met leftist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Charles, who is passionate about gardening and the environment, later visited an urban sustainable farming project in Harlem, while Camilla celebrated the 100th birthday of Winnie the Pooh at the New York Public Library.
Security has been tight for the royal visit, which came just days after an alleged assassination attempt against Trump at a Washington media gala. The trip has seen light moments between Charles and Trump, including the US president joking that his Scottish-born mother had a crush on the future king when he was younger.
© 2024 AFP
