King Charles III and Queen Camilla are embarking on their first State Visit to the United States to mark the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, which is the latest in almost 170 years of British Royal Visits to the United States.
In 1860, the then Prince of Wales made an massive Tour of Canada and the United States, visiting Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Portland, Maine, notably meeting President Buchanan at Mount Vernon.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth made a five-day visit to the United States on the eve of the Second World War in 1939, in the midst of a month-long Tour of Canada. Arriving in Washington DC, the King and Queen visited the 1939 World’s Fair in new York City before spending a few days at the President’s private estate in Hyde Park.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh made a two-day trip to Washington, D.C in 1951, in the midst of their extensive Tour of Canada, with the Princess (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) notably holding a Gala Dinner for President Truman and the First Lady at the Canadian Embassy.
In 1957, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh completed their first State Visit to the United States which began in Williamsburg to mark the 350th anniversary of the first permanent English settlement, where a Dinner was held in honour of the Queen (wearing Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara) and Duke at the iconic Williamsburg Inn.
The Royal Couple were welcomed President Dwight D Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower at the White House, with a State Dinner held in honour of the Queen (in the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) and Duke that evening, at which the President said:
There are many indications today that we are at the beginning of a new age of discovery and exploration in the world of human knowledge and technology. Only a short time ago these unexplored areas of human knowledge seemed as impenetrable as the forests of this continent to the settlers 350 years ago.
The following evening, the Queen (in the Vladimir Tiara) and Duke of Edinburgh hosted a Return Banquet for President Eisenhower and the First Lady at the British Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C, alongside Lord Caccia, the British Ambassador, and Lady Caccia.
The Queen and Duke attended a Reception and Luncheon at the Capitol, visited Arlington National Cemetery and the National Gallery of Art, attended an American Football Match before stopping in at a supermarket in College Park. The Royal Couple attended a Gala Dinner with the President and Vice President, as well as the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) and Duke being joined by the Secretary of State for a Dinner at the Pan American Union.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh then traveled to New York City, where they were given an official welcome before visiting the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, followed by the Queen’s address to the U.N. General Assembly. In the evening, the Queen (in Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) and Duke attended a Dinner given by the Pilgrims Society before the Commonwealth Ball at the 77th Regiment Armoury.
Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon, embarked on a three-week tour of the United States in 1965, visiting San Francisco, Los Angeles and Hollywood, Tucson, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and New York City.
Following their visit to Canada with the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne went on a two-day semi-official Visit to Washington D.C. in 1970, which began with an Official Welcome by President and Mrs Nixon at the White House, and was followed by visits to the Lincoln Memorial, Mount Vernon, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Space Museum, a barbeque at Camp David, a Washington Senators Baseball Game, and Lunch on the Presidential Yacht culminating in a Dinner and Dance at the White House for 700 hosted in honour of the Prince and Princess by Julie Nixon, Tricia Nixon and David Eisenhower.
President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford hosted a State Dinner in honour of the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) and Duke in the Rose Garden of the White House in 1976, followed by dancing in the East Room, during the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s State Visit to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States, which included a lavish Return Banquet at the British Embassy.
Princess Anne went on a nine-day visit to the United States in 1982, visiting Denver, Colorado Springs, Santa Fe, the pueblos of San Ildefonso and Taos, and Houston, with the highlight being the Gala Dinner held for the Princess (wearing Princess Andrew’s Meander Tiara) by the Denver Chapter of the English Speaking Union.
President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan hosted the the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on their Official Visit to California in 1983, and following visits to Los Angelos and the Regan’s Ranch, there was a State Dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan for the Queen (in the Vladimir Tiara) at the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco.
The following evening, Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara) and Duke hosted a Dinner for President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan on board the Royal Yacht Britannia to celebrate the Reagan’s Wedding Anniversary.
After a ten day Tour of Australia, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Washington DC and Miami on their four-day visit to the United States of America in 1985, with the the President and First Lady holding an Official Dinner and Dance at the White House, during which the Princess Of Wales (wearing her Sapphire Choker), famously danced with John Travolta.
In 1991, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh conducted a 13-day state visit to the United States at the invitation of President George H.W. Bush, which included an address a joint session of the United States Congress, and a State Dinner for the Queen (in her Belgian Sapphire Tiara) at the White House, ahead of visits to Miami, Tampa, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houseman and Kentucky.
The newlywed Prince and Princess of Wales made an eight day visit to the United States in 2005, visiting New York City, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, and San Fransico, with highlights including a reception at the Museum of Modern Art and a State Dinner at the White House. They later made a two-day visit to Philadelphia and New York City in 2007.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh made their final State Visit to the United States in 2007 to mark the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, visiting Richmond, Williamsburg, Jamestown, and the Kentucky Derby before arriving in Washington DC for a State Dinner held by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush for the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara).
In 2011, the newlywed Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited California for a BAFTA Gala in 2011, and visited New York City and Washington, D.C. on a three-day visit in 2014, which included the University of St Andrews 600th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The following year, the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited the United States for a four-day Tour, meeting with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office.
Most recently, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited Boston in 2022 to attend the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony.
