The original bell from a UK-built Second World War submarine, HMS Trump, was the centrepiece of gifts King Charles III presented to US President Donald Trump during the State Visit. The monarch unveiled the “personal gift” at the White House state dinner as he delivered his address, adding a light-hearted, friendly note to the formal occasion.
Trump, visibly impressed, praised the king’s gesture at the white-tie event. In his speech, Charles highlighted military partnerships—NATO and AUKUS—then recalled a predecessor submarine launched from a UK shipyard in 1944 that served mostly with the 4th Submarine Squadron in Australia. “Her name? HMS Trump,” he said, before presenting the original bell that hung on the vessel’s conning tower. “May it stand as a testimony to our nations’ shared history and shining future. And should you ever need to get hold of us, well, just give us a ring,” he added to laughter and applause.
Earlier, in a private exchange, Buckingham Palace said the king presented Trump with a framed facsimile of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk, the iconic desk in the Oval Office. The originals are held by the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The palace noted the drawings show the front elevation, top and projection of the President’s Desk.
The Resolute Desk was made from timber of the British exploration ship HMS Resolute. The US recovered and refitted the ship and sent it back to England; it was presented to Queen Victoria on December 17, 1856, as a gesture of goodwill. HMS Resolute served until 1879, and three desks were fashioned from its timbers by master carpenter William Evenden at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. On November 23, 1880, the finished Resolute Desk was presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes by Queen Victoria.
Queen Camilla, as customary, presented a brooch by British designer Fiona Rae to First Lady Melania Trump. Rae, a Central Saint Martins graduate and member of the British Society of Enamellers, has been designing for more than 34 years. After receiving support from the Prince’s Trust, Rae became one of the UK’s few enamel specialists; she was granted a Royal Warrant by the king in 2024. Her work blends traditional craft with modern technology and computer-aided design.
The palace also outlined the gifts exchanged from the American side. President Trump gave Charles a custom facsimile of a 1785 letter from John Adams to John Jay describing Adams’s reception by King George III when he was the first US ambassador to Great Britain. Adams recounted the pomp of the royal audience and the emotional gravity as the former adversaries met as statesmen. He quoted his pledge to restore friendship and the king’s response that, though reluctant to accept separation, he would be the first to meet US friendship. The gift nods to the UK–US special relationship and the State Visit’s theme marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
First Lady Melania Trump gave Queen Camilla six Tiffany’s English King Sterling Silver teaspoons and a jar of White House honey. The teaspoons are Tiffany’s take on popular late 19th-century “King” designs; each is hand-engraved with Queen Camilla’s cypher. The honey references the queen’s interest in beekeeping and reflects shared appreciation for sustainability, craftsmanship and the natural world.
Following events in Washington DC, the royal tour will include New York to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
