President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, as is tradition, presented Her Majesty a gift as part of the state visit that commenced on 3 June.
The Trumps gave The Queen a silver and silk poppy brooch from Tiffany & Co. The gift, carefully selected by the First Lady and presented in a custom wooden White House box, symbolises those who died during the First World War. It is also significant as The Queen and President will attend the National Commemorative Event to mark the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings at Southsea Common in Portsmouth.
They also gave her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh a custom Air Force One (the President’s plane) jacket and an autographed copy of James Doolittle’s autobiography “I Could Never Be So Lucky Again.” Doolittle was a World War II aviator.
For her part, Her Majesty gave the President an abridged first edition copy of Winston Churchill’s “The Second World War,” as well as a three-piece pen set.
The First Lady was presented with a silver box that mirrored the ceiling in Buckingham Palace’s Music Room – showing a thistle, shamrock and rose.
The official gift exchange took place ahead of the state banquet hosted by Her Majesty at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening.
The state visit concludes today where Her Majesty will bid the Trumps farewell in Portsmouth after the D-Day commemorative event.
The Queen’s next event will be Trooping the Colour in London on Saturday when she will take the salute on Horse Guards and appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside the Royal Family to watch a flyover.
While Trooping the Colour is the official celebration for Her Majesty’s birthday, her actual birthday is on 21 April. The Queen celebrated her 93rd birthday this year, and the Duke of Edinburgh will turn 98 on 10 June.
