WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla will end a four-day state visit to the U.S. on Thursday with a formal farewell with U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in Washington.
The king is then expected to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River in Virginia, a sacred site for many Americans where tens of thousands of the country’s war dead are buried, as well as two presidents and some former Supreme Court justices.
The royal visit to the U.S., officially to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence from British rule, came at a time of tensions between Britain and the U.S., with Trump having criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for what he says is his lack of help in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Charles and Camilla are due to fly to Bermuda on Thursday evening, after attending events in Virginia.
The centerpiece of the royal visit came on Tuesday, when Charles addressed a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress followed by a state dinner at the White House hosted by Trump and the first lady.
During the visit, Charles stressed the historical military and cultural ties between Britain and the U.S., as well as the importance of NATO at a time when Trump has been critical of the Western military alliance’s reluctance to provide military assistance in the Iran war.
On Wednesday the king and queen commemorated victims of the September 11, 2001, al Qaeda attack on New York City, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Center’s twin towers once stood.
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