Read, Watch or Listen

Washington: On April 29, President Donald Trump hosted King Charles III at the White House, where the two exchanged historically resonant facsimiles. Trump presented a custom copy of a June 2, 1785 letter John Adams wrote to John Jay, in which Adams recounted meeting King George III and noted the monarch had been 'the last to consent to the separation' yet signalled willingness to rebuild ties. King Charles returned a framed facsimile of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk, the Oval Office fixture made from the timbers of H.M.S. Resolute after the United States recovered and returned the ship; Queen Victoria had the desk made and presented it to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880. Melania Trump and Queen Camilla also exchanged gifts and took part in joint public events during the visit. The First Lady gave the Queen six Tiffany's English King sterling silver teaspoons engraved with the Queen's cypher and a jar of White House honey; the White House said the items reflected shared interests in sustainability, craftsmanship and beekeeping. Queen Camilla presented the First Lady with a brooch by enamel designer Fiona Rae, who received a Royal Warrant in 2024. Earlier, the First Lady and the Queen hosted students at the White House Tennis Pavilion, where pupils explored British landmarks and American historical artefacts using virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and Melania distributed copies of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.