The royal couple attended a garden party that brought together guests from the U.K. and the U.S. at the British embassy

King Charles attends a garden party at the British embassy on April 27, 2026.Credit : Roberto Schmidt/Getty

King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first day in Washington, D.C., included rubbing elbows at a garden party.

The royal couple touched down in the United States on Monday, April 27, and headed to the White House in Washington, D.C., where they were greeted by President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump. After a private tea and a tour of the first lady’s beekeeping program on the White House grounds — to which she recently added a beehive in the shape of the famous presidential residence — King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78, continued their first day’s agenda with a garden party at the British embassy.

The busy outdoor event brought together over 600 guests from the U.K. and the U.S., including British Olympian Tom Daley and British ambassador to the U.S. Sir Christian Turner, whom Trump appointed in February.

Daley spoke to Queen Camilla about his children Robbie, 7, and Phoenix, 3.

“She asked what I was up to now and told her about my knitting, and she asked about my kids. She couldn’t believe how old they were now,” he says.

The Olympian also spoke to the King about knitting, and the monarch revealed he took up the hobby when he was young. “He said he used to knit when he was 8 years old,” Daly shares. “He said he wasn’t very good at it but said he knew it was very good for mental health and maybe should give it another go.”

“I always feel out of place at these things. It’s all very surreal. It’s fun!” Daley adds.

King Charles chats with Tom Daley at a British embassy garden party on April 27, 2026.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Attendees also included members of the Trump administration, like deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. There were Democrats in attendance, too, such as former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Additionally, invitees included representatives from charity organizations meaningful to the monarchs. Queen Camilla was photographed chatting with Michelle DeLaune, CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The Queen supports several charities aimed at helping vulnerable women and children.

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson spoke to King Charles about  the landmark speech the King will make at Congress on Tuesday, April 28. “I told him he will be very well received,” Johnson says. “It’s something everyone is excited about. It’s an historical event, and it’s exciting that it falls on our anniversary year.”

He adds, “The King was very personable. You can tell that he gets along well and enjoys these events, and takes it all in his stride.”

Stephen Miller meets King Charles at a British embassy garden party on April 27, 2026.Roberto Schmidt/Getty

Representatives of causes close to the royals’ hearts were also represented among the crowd gathered on the lawn, including supporters of survivors of domestic abuse, a cause championed by the Queen.

Sandra Jackson, CEO of the House of Ruth, says it was “great” to meet Queen Camilla: “To have someone of her stature to give notoriety to this cause is very important. The fact that she has taken up this cause that is very dear to her heart allows people to know that it’s real, this is happening and how they can also support.”

“She thanked us for the work that we’re doing and talked about it is getting the kind of attention she would hope and that progress is being made. And we were grateful to be where to thank her for that passion, for her leadership.”

Asked about the King and Queen meeting survivors of Jeffrey Epstein — something the palace said that the couple cannot do while legal proceedings are underway — Jackson said, “I respect their decision.”

Adds Gretchen Shaw of the National Domestic Violence Hotline: “She said to me that she feels there have been great strides made in recent years to bring awareness to the issue. She’s been a champion of this issue for years, and it’s lovely to see her here — we’re just thrilled she made time to speak to us.”

Elsewhere, a group of West Point cadets cheekily asked Queen Camilla to pose for a photo with them.

Queen Camilla greets CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Michelle DeLaune at the British embassy on April 27, 2026.Roberto Schmidt/Getty

Garden parties are a royal tradition, with the family hosting the events at Buckingham Palace and other royal residences each year in the spring and summer. According to the BBC, it has been decades since the British royals held one while in America, with the last instance being when King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), hosted a garden party at the embassy in Washington in 1939.

The state visit will continue on Tuesday, April 28, with the King following in his mother’s footsteps to become just the second-ever British monarch to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress. The late Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech at the Capitol in 1991, the third of four official state visits to the U.S. she made over the course of her reign.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will also join them for a state dinner at the White House on Tuesday evening.

The following day, they will travel to New York City for a series of engagements, including a visit to the 9/11 memorial at One World Trade Center.

They royals are then set to travel south to Virginia to meet local residents and community organizations, and observe performances by Appalachian cultural groups. They will also attend a “block party” to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.

The White House confirmed on Sunday, April 26, that the King and Queen’s visit would “proceed as planned” following the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.

After gunfire left one Secret Service agent injured as the annual political event began on April 25, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told PEOPLE, “Following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day, and acting on advice of government, we can confirm the state visit by their Majesties will proceed as planned.”

“The King and Queen are most grateful to all those who have worked at pace to ensure this remains the case and are looking forward to the visit getting underway tomorrow,” the spokesperson added.

PEOPLE understands that Charles and Camilla reached out privately to Donald Trump and Melania Trump following the shooting incident. Trump confirmed that he and the King had spoken in an interview with CBS News on Sunday.

“They called, and they are so looking forward to being here,” he said. “We spoke this morning.”