King Charles Wraps U.S. Visit With White House Farewell

King Charles and Queen Camilla wrapped up their four-day state visit to the United States on Thursday with a brief farewell stop at the White House, meeting with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump before continuing on to Virginia.

The official purpose of the visit was to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence from Britain, a milestone Charles leaned into with humor. In speeches to Washington's elite, he drew laughs by acknowledging he was, as he put it, on the losing side of the American Revolutionary War.

But the trip carried deeper diplomatic weight. Charles described the relationship between the two countries at Tuesday's state dinner as an "unbreakable bond" and "indispensable alliance," language that reflected real tension. The United Kingdom, along with other European allies, has declined to join the two-month-old U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, straining relations with the Trump administration.

The visit appeared to ease some of that friction, at least between the two leaders personally. Trump, who has been openly frustrated with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told reporters he was fond of his "great friend" Charles the day after their dinner. "When you like the King of a country so much, it probably helps your relationship with the Prime Minister," Trump said. Posing for photographs on a red carpet outside the White House's South Portico, Trump pointed to Charles and added, "He's the greatest King, in my book."

The two couples went inside, returned about five minutes later, and the royals departed for a tour of sites in Virginia. Later Thursday, Charles and Camilla flew to Bermuda for Charles' first visit as sovereign to the British territory, which, unlike the United States, has not obtained independence.