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The United States, historically known for its bold Boston Tea Party, embraced a more refined tea tradition on Monday as President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden shared a cup of one of King Charles’ preferred teas. The event marked the beginning of the British monarch and Queen Camilla’s state visit.
The royal duo savored the King’s favored Earl Grey blend, accompanied by an assortment of cakes and sandwiches, upon their arrival in Washington, D.C. This visit is anticipated to be a significant moment amid the current challenges in U.S.-U.K. relations.
Arriving at a military base, the royal couple was welcomed with a red carpet reception before being escorted in a motorcade to the White House.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden warmly received King Charles and Queen Camilla, guiding them to a White House parlour where they enjoyed tea from the renowned Fortnum & Mason.
In keeping with British royal traditions, the tea was elegantly served in silver pots. The venue itself paid homage to the historic ties between the two nations, featuring a painting of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall by Danish-American artist Ferdinand Richardt and Federal-style furnishings throughout the room.
The meeting also included a gesture towards President Biden’s love for sweets, with large pots of honey available at the table, complementing the tea service.
Read on to see what hidden details you may have missed from the royals’ tea party with the Trumps…
Pictured: 1. Ferdinand Richardt’s painting of Independence Hall 2. Silver tea pots 3. Porcelain cups and saucers 4. Honey 5. Tiered cake stand 6. Menus 7. Silver strainers 8. Madeleines, finger sandwiches and cakes 9. Queen Camilla’s £3,378 bag 10. Security detail in mirrors 11. Green silk wallpaper handpicked by Jackie Kennedy 12. Painted lamps 13. Federal-style furniture
1. Artwork
The Green Room has several noteworthy paintings, including Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Ferdinand Richardt
After travelling to the capital, the royal couple were welcomed on the South Portico of the White House, where there were kisses exchanged between the Queen and Melania, while Charles shook hands with Mr Trump before greeting the First Lady.
The two couples then sat down privately in the Green Room for tea, with discussions carefully shielded from public view – a sign of the sensitivity surrounding the visit.
The image of the Green Room, which doubles up as an art gallery, showed one of the room’s most famous paintings – Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Danish-American artist Ferdinand Richardt.
The detailed oil painting of the historic landmark, created around 1858-1863, is a symbol of American liberty on the eve of the Civil War.
2 – 8. Afternoon tea spread
2. A silver teapot used to serve brews from Fortnum & Mason
The tea was poured into delicate bone chine cups as Charles likely sweetened his brew with honey
Inside the parlour typically used for small meetings, interviews and more informal gatherings, the group enjoyed brews shipped especially from Fortnum & Mason.
The Earl Grey and Royal Blend varieties were likely shipped especially for Their Majesties, as Fortnum & Mason does not operate any physical retail stores in the United States.
However, a small selection of their products is available at high-end homeware store Williams-Sonoma at one outlet in New York.
While King Charles’s favourite is a cup of Darjeeling tea, he was likely pleased with the White House’s selection of the Royal Blend and Earl Grey varieties.
Fortnum & Mason’s £17.95 loose-leaf Royal Blend, described on the website as having a ‘smooth, honey-like flavour’, was first blended for King Edward in 1902.
Charles is also said to be partial to Earl Grey, a black tea named after former prime minister Charles Grey, with hints of bergamot.
In keeping with royal protocol, the tea was served in silver pots as a butler ensured the quartet’s cups were always full during the private talks that overran the allotted 30 minutes.
5. A cake stand laden with treats
6. Printed menus for the private afternoon tea
7. Silver strainers for the loose-leaf teas shipped from Fortnum & Mason
The King and Queen were also served an assortment of cakes, madeleines and finger sandwiches on cake stands
It is not known how far White House staff went in their pursuit of presenting Charles with his perfect cup of tea, as His Majesty typically insists the temperature of each pot be taken with a thermometer.
The former hospitality manager at Dumfries House, Charles’s cultural institute in the Scottish borders, Evan Samson said the King is particular that English Breakfast or Earl Grey should be brewed at 100 degrees.
He likes his tea with a splash of milk and a natural sweetener, as the photo taken during the King and Queen’s 45-minute meeting with Mr and Mrs Trump showed a wooden table laden with large pots of honey, strainers and porcelain cups.
The clover honey was likely harvested from a newly expanded beehive, built in the shape of a miniature White House, that the royal couple later inspected when they were given a tour of the gardens.
The King and Queen were also served an assortment of cakes, madeleines and finger sandwiches on cake stands.
9. Queen Camilla’s new £3,378 designer bag
Queen Camilla’s new £3,378 Bottega Veneta bag on the floor
For the afternoon activities, Queen Camilla wore a bespoke Anna Valentine dress with black embroidery. The renowned British designer is beloved by Camilla, and designed her pale blue hand-embroidered wedding dress.
She paired her striking white outfit with a Bottega Veneta andiamo bag, which retails for around £3,378 and can be seen perched next to her bespoke beige suede Elliot Zed shoes in this photo.
10 – 12. The decor of the Green Room
Other decor details included white porcelain lamps and Federal-style furniture including a cabinet with brass rings and carved legs
Reflections in the gilded gold mirrors showed aides standing by the doors of the Green Room while Charles and Camilla held private talks with the President and First Lady.
The green silk wallpaper for the parlour, which has been refurbished several times to the tastes of serving presidents and their wives, was chosen by Jackie Kennedy in 1962.
Other decor details included white porcelain lamps and Federal-style furniture including a cabinet with brass rings and carved legs.
After their private tea, Charles and Camilla attended a garden reception at the British Embassy, with 650 VIPs and dignitaries.
Guests included Olympic diver and celebrity knitter Tom Daley as well as football ace Esme Morgan, a Lionesses star who plays for Washington Spirit.
Among the political figures there were Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, Senator Ted Cruz, former speaker Nancy Pelosi and current speaker of the house Mike Johnson.
Queen Camilla mingling with guests at a lavish garden party hosted at the British Embassy
King Charles holding a drink
First Lady Melania Trump laughs with Britain’s King Charles III as they tour the White House Beehive on the South Lawn
In traditional garden party fare, guests were treated to 3,000 handmade sandwiches including Scottish smoked salmon, roast beef and horseradish sandwiches using imported British cuts brought in under new tariff-free treaties, egg mayonnaise, and lightly pickled cucumber, followed by scones.
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The British Embassy’s Head Chef Craig Harnden revealed that his kitchen prepared between 2,500 and 3,000 individual sandwiches for the occasion.
‘The calculation is based on experience and a little bit of luck,’ he added, referring to the approximately 650 guests, including politicians and officials to charity leaders and sporting stars.
The Afternoon Tea menu comprised sandwiches with four kinds of fillings, including Scottish smoked salmon with lemon butter, roasted British beef and horseradish, cheddar and fig, and pickled cucumber and dill.
Chef Harnden said the scones were baked an hour and a half before the tea, and served with strawberries and clotted cream.
There was also an extensive collection of traditional British desserts, including Bakewell tarts and a Victoria Sponge cake, that paired perfectly with Fortnum & Mason’s Royal Blend and Earl Grey variants.
For guests preferring something stronger, there were plenty of glasses of Hambledon sparkling wine to go around.
The King has been tasked with using the monarchy’s soft power to help steady relations, which have become increasingly fractious in recent months.
Arriving in Washington aboard the British Government GBNI aeroplane, Charles and Camilla were greeted with full ceremonial honours at Joint Base Andrews, where a military guard and band lined a red carpet beneath blazing sunshine.
Camilla made a pointed diplomatic gesture by wearing a historic brooch featuring the Union flag crossed with the American Stars and Stripes – a piece originally gifted to Elizabeth II during her 1957 visit to the US.
The high-stakes trip comes against the backdrop of recent tensions, with Trump having criticised the UK government’s foreign policy stance and openly clashed with Sir Keir Starmer.
