On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted King Charles and Queen Camilla for a state dinner at the White House on a cool spring evening in Washington, DC. It was a show of pomp, circumstance, and most of all, power—which, depending on your positioning on the political spectrum, could feel eerie or elegant given the current state of the country.
The dress code was white tie—known as the most formal dress code in the United States. The president and king wore tails and white waistcoats. Although Camilla did not wear a tiara, she did wear an amethyst and diamond necklace along with a hot pink gown by London-based designer Fiona Clare. Throughout her trip to the United States, the Queen has reliably chosen British designers in a subtle showing of sartorial support of her homeland.
The First Lady, however, chose a European brand. She opted for a pale delphinium haute couture gown by Christian Dior, paired with off-white gloves. For those who follow fashion and its intersection with power, the choice was a notable one: Delphine Arnault, the C.E.O. of Dior, attended the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2025 alongside her father, L.V.M.H Bernard Arnault. Since then, the First Lady has worn a number of designs by the French House, including a Christian Dior haute couture suit during a September’s visit to the United Kingdom.
King Charles, President Trump, and More From Inside the Dinner for the UK State Visit
Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images.
The guest list included those who run the biggest companies in America: Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Paramount Skydance’s David Ellison, who recently completed a hostile takeover of Paramount. Tim Cook, who is the current CEO of Apple. (Cook will become the executive chairman in September.) Robert Kraft, CEO, and chairman of The Kraft Group and owner of the New England Patriots. Marc Andreessen, general partner of venture capitalist firm Andreessen Horowitz.
Supreme Court justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, and Brett Kavanaugh were in attendance, as were cabinet members Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth. The White House confirmed his attendance using the controversial title of “Secretary of War” rather than “Secretary of Defense.” In September 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing Hegseth to use the secondary title.
A four-course dinner was served: a garden herb velouté with a hearts of palm salad to start, followed by a spring herb ravioli with herbs from the White House Kitchen Garden. The main course was a classic dover sole meunière and for dessert, there was a beehive shaped chocolate gâteau with a smooth vanilla bean crémeux custard. All of it was served on vermeil from the White House Collection. On the wine list? Newton Chardonnay—which was also served to the then Prince Charles when he visited Washington in 2005. The decor, according to a statement from The White House, included cherry blossoms in the White House’s grand foyer as well as tablescapes of seasonal blooms of lilac, butterfly ranunculus, phlox, and lily of the valley.
Earlier today, King Charles gave a speech in front of Congress. He spoke about the environment and the Magna Carta and the importance of checks and balances and that the relationship between the US and UK was “more important today than it has ever been.” Later, the White House tweeted a picture of them with the caption “Two Kings” in all capitals. Then, they added a crown emoji.
