The four-day state visit of King Charles III of the United Kingdom and Queen Camilla to the USA concluded with loud statements: Donald Trump called the monarch "the greatest king" and announced the cancellation of several tariffs on Scottish whiskey. Symbolic gestures were accompanied by discussions on strengthening British-American relations and economic cooperation.
On Thursday afternoon local time, King Charles and his wife flew from Andrews Air Force Base near Washington to the Bahamas — a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,300 km from Washington, as reported by bb.lv citing the BBC.
On the last day of the visit, Donald Trump and his wife ceremoniously bid farewell to Charles and Camilla at the White House, after which the royal couple laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery near Washington, and then went to a street celebration in a town in Virginia.
On the same day, Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that in honor of the king and queen, he would waive some tariffs on Scottish whiskey. Trump's mother, Mary MacLeod, was Scottish.
"I will eliminate tariffs and restrictions on whiskey related to Scotland's ability to collaborate with the Commonwealth of Kentucky [the official name of the state of Kentucky — BBC] on whiskey and bourbon. Two very important industries in Scotland and Kentucky," Trump’s post on Truth Social read. "The king and queen, even without really asking for it, made me do something that no one could make me do. It is a huge honor that they came to the USA."
In response to this news, a representative of Buckingham Palace stated that the king expressed his "sincere gratitude" to Trump and would "raise a glass" to the president.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney called this "fantastic news for Scotland" and said he was grateful to the king for the key role he played.
Swinney added: "The Scottish economy was losing millions of pounds every month."
The main buyer of used bourbon barrels from Kentucky is the Scottish industry, which imports them annually for about £200 million for aging Scotch whiskey.
Farewell
In the morning, a short farewell ceremony took place at the White House and in front of it.
When the royal couple left, Trump told reporters: "Wonderful people! We need more people like them in our country."
While posing together in front of the White House, Trump pointed to Charles and said: "Great king! The greatest king, in my opinion!"
The visit demonstrated London and Washington's desire for closer ties — both politically and economically, writes bb.lv. However, despite the positive atmosphere and mutual compliments, experts doubt the durability of this effect: much will depend on further steps and the unpredictable style of the American administration.
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