Nearing the close of what has been a whirlwind state visit to the U.S., King Charles III and Queen Camilla bid goodbye to U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Thursday morning.
Having attended a private tea at the White House, a hats-free garden party at the British embassy, a state arrival ceremony, a state dinner, a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial, and a soiree at Christie’s New York, Their Majesties were then headed to three stops in Virginia — Arlington National Cemetery, Shenandoah National Park and then a parade and block party in the aptly named town of Royal Front — before their return flight to the U.K.
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For Thursday’s official farewell, Melania Trump chose a charcoal gray wool Dior pantsuit and block patent leather Roger Vivier pumps. The former model donned a Christian Dior Couture strapless evening gown for what was the Trumps’ fourth state dinner. The former model needs no introduction to the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned house. Delphine Arnault, chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, was among the guests at President Trump’s 2025 inauguration. (Her parents Bernard and Hélène, and her brother Alexandre were there, too.)
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Although the first lady’s choice of charcoal gray might be considered humdrum by some, gray has become more stylish in recent years. Earl grey tea and military uniforms aside, gray is increasingly associated with slick smartphones and skyscrapers, but homeowners have been leaning into it for interiors. And American consumers have made it one of the most popular car colors, according to a 2052 BASF survey. While BMW has roadsters in “Brooklyn Gray,” and Toyota serves up vehicles in “Lunar Rock,” Pantone chalks up its Charcoal Gray to being “a deep neutral.”
President Trump said his goodbyes wearing a dark blue suit and light blue necktie. Queen Camilla wore a periwinkle blue coat dress for the final leg of the four-day stay. And King Charles went with a gray business suit — a look that became a uniform post-World War II, thanks to scene-stealers like Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart and Bing Crosby.
Their four-day stay is King Charles’ first, since his ascension. The visit occurred while tensions between the U.S. and U.K. have been strained, and just days after Saturday’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Amidst all the glad-handing, King Charles addressed a joint session of Congress, plugged U.S.-U.K. investment in a meeting with CEOs, and checked out the after-school farming program, Harlem Grown. With the support of her charity, The Queen’s Reading Room, Her Majesty headlined an event for 100 guests, including Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker and Min Jin Lee at the New York Public Library on Wednesday. Political figures’ fashion choices often serve as a diversion, regardless of the geopolitical climate, as seemed to be the case with some royal watchers chronicling this week’s visit.
While King Charles joked during his remarks at Tuesday’s state dinner, “If it wasn’t for us, you’d be speaking French,” Melania Trump showed her allegiance for the French luxury house Dior — and its Northern Irish-born creative director Jonathan Anderson — on two key occasions, during this week’s royal visit.
Matthew Yokobosky, senior curator of fashion and material culture at the Brooklyn Museum, said, “Fashion definitely gets ramped up when there’s royal involvement. For example, First Lady Melania in her white Ralph Lauren suit and now-signature wide brimmed [Eric Javits] hat. And her newest Dior haute couture look — the pale pink, almost white gown — that she wore with white gloves to the state dinner seemed perhaps like a voice of neutrality, a peace statement.”
Having happened to have seen an older man in a youthful “Winnie the Pooh” sweater walking down by the stairs New York Public Library’s main entrance after Queen Camilla’s visit, Yokobosky said, “Their majesties can have that effect on people.” (Fittingly, it was Gyles Brandreth, biographer for Winnie the Pooh’s creator A.A. Milne, who sported the playful sweater.)
Yokobosky said, “The royals often try to strike that mix. Sarah Jessica toured Queen Camilla through the halls of the library, making conversation. There were not just senior librarians. Royals do act as bridges across generations, which is always an important statement for them, given the lines of succession and hierarchies.”