King Charles elicited a laugh from Melania Trump while visiting his recently added White House beehive on Monday in an attempt to lighten diplomatic relations between Britain and the United States.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the hive, crafted to mimic the iconic White House building, alongside President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. The First Lady had placed the exhibit on White House grounds earlier this month, the Daily Mail report.
President Donald J. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the U.K. visit the White House beehives on the South Grounds | April 27, 2026 pic.twitter.com/vbpmGNF80T
— Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) April 28, 2026
The exhibit seemed to fascinate both Charles and Camilla, both avid beekeepers who have in years past auctioned off honey collected from their bees for charity. Since its launch in 2009, the White House beekeeping program has aided in pollination efforts on the grounds and is now considered an “institution” on site.
According to official White House resources, harvested honey is used in recipes prepared in the White House kitchen, presented as gifts during state functions, and donated to local food banks. The hive has also been used as an opportunity to educate visitors passing through the South Lawn who can catch a glimpse of active colony.
Before this month’s addition, the two original beehives on site were capable of housing up to 70,000 bees and producing up to 225 pounds of honey per year during a productive harvest. Officials expect that number to rise to approximately 255 pounds annually with the colony’s newest addition. Honey harvested from the hive has a light clover and basswood flavor with hints of citrus.
Later, the King is expected to address Congress, describing the relationship between Britain and the United States since independence as “one of the greatest alliances in human history,” emphasizing how the two nations continue to “come together.”
First Lady Melania Trump and King Charles sharing a laugh during his State Visit to the White House! pic.twitter.com/yyCZl58P2p
— Royal News Network (@RNN_RoyalNews) April 27, 2026
His speech, delivered on the second day of his state visit, is likely to acknowledge recent friction between Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, particularly over the U.S. stance in Iran. Charles is also set to stress that defending shared principles is “crucial for liberty and equality,” highlighting the importance of the rule of law as a cornerstone of both nations’ democratic systems and economic success.
He is expected to briefly mention the recent gun attack at a Washington, D.C. dinner attended by the president, offering “the highest regard and friendship of the British people to the people of the United States” as the country marks its 250th anniversary.
It will be only the second time a British monarch addresses a joint session of Congress; Queen Elizabeth II visited Washington in 1991 and spoke to Congress.
Charles is expected to refer to historical conflict between Britain and America. while the UK and U.S. have not always seen eye to eye over the last 250 years, their shared “democratic, legal and social traditions”—dating back to the Magna Carta—have ensured that “time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together.”
