Queen Camilla appeared to momentarily break from protocol as she and King Charles touched down in Washington DC for their high-stakes state visit – stepping toward the waiting motorcade before the national anthems had even begun.
Footage from the arrival shows the Queen walking down the red carpet before moving ahead of both Charles and Chief of Protocol of the United States, Ambassador Monica Crowley, seemingly preparing to head straight for the car.
However, the brief misstep is quickly corrected, with Camilla appearing to be called back into position just as the British and American national anthems begin to play.
The moment came at the start of what is being billed as the most significant overseas tour of Charles’s reign so far – a four-day visit to the United States at a delicate time for relations between the two countries.
The King and Queen were greeted at Joint Base Andrews by a line of dignitaries, including the UK’s ambassador to the US, Sir Christian Turner, before taking part in a formal welcome ceremony complete with a military honour guard.
Earlier, Camilla had made a symbolic show of Anglo-American unity, stepping off the plane in a pink Dior coat dress adorned with a historic brooch featuring the Stars and Stripes crossed with the Union flag.
Queen Camilla appeared to momentarily break from protocol as she and King Charles touched down in Washington DC
Footage from the arrival shows the Queen walking down the red carpet before moving ahead of both Charles and US ambassador Monica Crowley
However, the brief misstep is quickly corrected, with Camilla appearing to be called back into position just as the British and American national anthems begin to play
The piece was originally gifted to Elizabeth II during her 1957 visit to the US and was worn by Camilla as a subtle nod to the enduring ties between the two nations.
The visit carries significant diplomatic weight, with hopes that the monarchy’s soft power can help steady a relationship that has come under strain amid tensions between the Prime Minister and Donald Trump.
Charles’s trip – his first to America as King – has also been overshadowed by a security scare just days ago, after an attempted assassination of Trump at a Washington media dinner prompted urgent overnight talks between British and US security teams.
Sir Christian Turner said ‘all appropriate security measures’ had been put in place ahead of the royal arrival.
After greeting officials and receiving flowers from children of British military families stationed in the US, the King and Queen stood for the national anthems before departing in a motorcade bound for central Washington.
They are expected to meet Trump and the First Lady later for tea, marking the first in a series of high-profile engagements aimed at reinforcing the so-called ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the United States.
