The King and Queen went on to meet the Trumps, who greeted their visitors on the South Portico of the White House, with the famous building currently under much construction work.
The royal visitors had tea in the Green Room and were brought into the garden to see a newly-expanded beehive, rebuilt in the shape of a miniature White House.
This honey-coated piece of diplomacy was intended to appeal to King Charles, who is an enthusiastic supporter of bee-keeping.
The state visit, carried out on behalf of the UK government, is a soft power attempt to strengthen relations, in a year in which the US is marking its 250th anniversary of independence.
Queen Camilla was wearing a brooch which combines the British and US flags, which was given to the late Queen Elizabeth II by the mayor of New York on a state visit in 1957.
That particular trip had been a diplomatic mission to rebuild the US and UK partnership after the Suez Crisis of 1956, which had put the two countries in dispute over a Middle East war.
King Charles and Queen Camilla then went to a crowded garden party attended by more than 600 people at the UK’s embassy in Washington DC. The guests had US and UK connections, with people from politics, science, charities and the military.
