King Charles leaves Melania Trump in stitches during White House visit

Ben McCaffrey
Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:46:24 +0000

King Charles left First Lady Melania Trump in stitches as she showed off a new beehive on the first day of the landmark US State Visit yesterday.

The pair, joined by spouses Donald Trump and Queen Camilla, viewed the hive, crafted in the distinctive shape of the White House itself.

It joins a pair of existing colonies that have occupied the south grounds since 2009, positioned close to the historic kitchen garden.

During the height of summer, these established hives are home to roughly 70,000 bees, which together produce between 200 and 225 pounds of clover honey each year.

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The King and Queen have beehives of their own in Highgrove, Ray Mill and Buckingham Palace.

And during Mrs Trump's showcase, the quartet embarked on a 20-minute discussion of all things bees, honey and royal gardens.

It was here that the King, demonstrating his trademark humour, quipped something to the First Lady that made her giggle infectiously.

Mrs Trump is said to have had a leading role in the planning and preparations for the historic visit.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed: "First Lady Melania Trump has led all of the preparations for the state visit, which will honour the longstanding and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom."

The visit began when the President and First Lady greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla on the White House South Lawn.

The quartet later sat down for tea together at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, before the tour of Mrs Trump's newly unveiled beehive.

Later on, they attended a Garden Party at the British Embassy in Washington DC, which brought together an array of guests representing the transatlantic relationship between Britain and America.

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Today, the King will deliver a landmark address to US Congress, where he will call for major "reconciliation", and emphasise the strength of the UK-US relationship at a time of global uncertainty.

The monarch will become only the second British monarch to address a joint meeting following Queen Elizabeth II's speech in 1991, and could speak for up to 30 minutes - far surpassing the 12-minute speech performed by the late Queen.

King Charles's push for "reconciliation" comes at a time the so-called "special relationship" between the UK and US - originally coined by Sir Winston Churchill - feels under threat.

President Trump's constant public barrage of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has led to a fractious relationship between the two nations over policies such as Net Zero, immigration, and the US-Israeli offensive in Iran.

Messages from the monarch are expected to be delivered, in typical royal style, subliminally through the speech - with sources telling Politico the King could also mention Saturday's Washington DC shooting, which almost cast the State Visit into doubt.

Following the incident, 31-year-old Cole Allen of California was yesterday charged with attempting to assassinate the US President, as well as discharging a firearm during a violent crime and transporting a firearm across states with the intent to commit a felony.

The suspect was able to breach security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner with a shotgun, a handgun and at least three knives, injuring one federal agent.