King Charles and Queen Camilla Attend Massive Garden Party on First Day of U.S. State Visit

Meredith KileMon, April 27, 2026 at 11:07 PM UTC

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King Charles attends a garden party at the British embassy on April 27, 2026Credit: Roberto Schmidt/Getty -

King Charles and Queen Camilla began their state visit to the United States on Monday

The royals were greeted at the White House by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump before attending a garden party at the British embassy

The garden party brought together guests from the U.K. and the U.S., including politicians, athletes, media and more

King Charles and Queen Camilla's first day in Washington, D.C., included rubbing elbows at a garden party.

The royal couple touched down in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 27, where they were greeted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. After a private tea and a tour of the first lady's beekeeping program on the White House grounds — to which she recently added a beehive in the shape of the famous presidential residence — King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, continued their first day's agenda with a garden party at the British embassy.

The crowded outdoor event brought together guests from the U.K. and the U.S., including British Olympian Tom Daley, seen above, and British ambassador to the U.S. Sir Christian Turner, whom Trump appointed in February.

King Charles chats with Tom Daley at a British embassy garden party on April 27, 2026Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Attendees also included members of the Trump administration, like deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. There were Democrats in attendance, too, such as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Stephen Miller meets King Charles at a British embassy garden party on April 27, 2026Credit: Roberto Schmidt/Getty

Additionally, invitees included representatives from charity organizations meaningful to the monarchs. Queen Camilla was photographed chatting with Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. As a senior royal, the Queen supports several charities aimed at helping vulnerable women and children.

Queen Camilla greets CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Michelle DeLaune at the British embassy on April 27, 2026Credit: Roberto Schmidt/Getty

Garden parties are a royal tradition, with the family hosting the events at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences each year in the spring and summer. According to the BBC, it has been decades since the British royals held one while in America, with the last instance being when King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), hosted a garden party at the embassy in Washington in 1939.

The state visit will continue on Tuesday, April 28, with the King following in his mother's footsteps to become just the second-ever British monarch to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress. The late Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech at the Capitol in 1991, the third of four official state visits to the U.S. she made over the course of her reign.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will also join them for a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday evening.

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The following day, they will travel to New York City for a series of engagements, including a visit to the 9/11 memorial at One World Trade Center.

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They royals are then set to travel south to Virginia to meet local residents and community organizations, and observe performances by Appalachian cultural groups. They will also attend a “block party” to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

The White House confirmed on Sunday, April 26, that the King and Queen's visit would "proceed as planned" following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday night.

After gunfire left one Secret Service agent injured as the annual political event began on April 25, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told PEOPLE, "Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we can confirm the state visit by their Majesties will proceed as planned."

"The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow," the spokesperson added.

PEOPLE understands that Charles and Camilla reached out privately to Donald Trump and Melania Trump following the shooting incident. Trump confirmed that he and the King had spoken in an interview with CBS News on Sunday.

"They called, and they are so looking forward to being here," he said. "We spoke this morning."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”