King Charles III and Queen Camilla received a full military welcome at the White House. On Tuesday, the pair were greeted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, who welcomed them with 21 gun salutes and a formal troop inspection to kick off their historic State Visit to the United States.
While the ceremony belonged to the King, the day's most talked-about detail rested quietly on Camilla's shoulder.
A tribute loaded with meaning
© Chris JacksonThe timing feels deliberate, considering that the UK recently celebrated Queen Elizabeth's centenary. It seems like Camilla has used her jewelry throughout this visit to pay quiet homage to her predecessor. At the informal welcome, she wore a brooch encrusted with diamonds and rubies that had belonged to Elizabeth II. It's an item that the late Queen received during her own State Visit to the United States.
For the formal ceremony, Camilla went even further.
The Cullinan V: one of the most valuable diamonds in the world
© Getty ImagesPinned to her shoulder was the Cullinan V, a heart-shaped diamond brooch that's widely considered one of the most extraordinary pieces in the royal collection. At its center sits an 18.8-carat diamond, surrounded by a constellation of smaller stones, but its true significance lies in where it came from.
The Cullinan diamond, discovered in a South African mine in the town that shares its name, was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. In its uncut state, it weighed over 3,000 carats, a figure so staggering it earned the stone the nickname the "Star of the South." King Edward VII ordered it cut into 105 individual gems as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation between Britain and South Africa following the Boer Wars.
The stones were named Cullinan I, II, III, and so on, all dependent on size. The two largest became permanent fixtures in the Crown Jewels; Cullinan I was set into the Sovereign's Sceptre, while Cullinan II was set into the Imperial State Crown.
Cullinan III and IV were mounted together as a brooch for Queen Mary of Teck. The piece Camilla wore on Tuesday, the Cullinan V, carries that same lineage.
The rest of the day
© Andrew HarnikAfter the welcome ceremony and a wave from the White House balcony, the Trumps and the King and Queen moved inside for the formal exchange of gifts before heading to the Oval Office to discuss international politics.
Camilla and Melania Trump then moved on to their own activities, which included an intercultural education event with students at the Tennis Pavilion. The day's centerpiece, however, came later, with King Charles addressing a joint session of Congress in a speech that immediately became part of the history books.
A State Dinner hosted by Trump and the First Lady rounded out the day, giving Camilla another chance to draw from the royal jewelry collection. In the coming days, Charles is scheduled to travel to Bermuda before returning home, making him the first British monarch to visit the overseas territory.
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images
