Gifts exchanged by Trump, royals highlight deep U.S.-U.K. ties

President Trump on Tuesday gifted King Charles III of the United Kingdom a custom facsimile of a letter by John Adams, written in 1785 as the first U.S. ambassador to Great Britain.

In exchange, Charles presented Mr. Trump with a framed facsimile of the 1879 plans for the Resolute Desk — the desk that U.S. presidents use in the Oval Office — which are currently held by the National Maritime Museum in London.

The letter written by Adams to John Jay, who later became the first U.S. Supreme Court chief justice, describes his meeting with King George III, under whose reign the United States declared its independence and defeated British forces in the Revolutionary War.

Adams wrote of “a strong undercurrent of emotion as the King and his former subject — once bitter enemies — met face to face, as statesmen.”

Adams recounts promising the king to restore friendship between the two nations and the king responding that although he was “the last to consent to separation,” he would be the first to celebrate U.S. friendship.

The Resolute Desk was created from the timbers of the British exploration ship HMS Resolute. Recovered by the U.S. government, the vessel was sent back to England in 1856, where it was presented to Queen Victoria as a gesture of goodwill. It served the Royal Navy until 1879.

In November 1880, Queen Victoria presented the Resolute Desk to President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Queen Camilla presented first lady Melania Trump with a brooch made by British jewelry designer Fiona Rae. In 2024, Fiona Rae was one of the first businesses to be granted a Royal Warrant, a prestigious mark of recognition in the U.K.

The brooch is a fusion of traditional craft skills alongside the latest developments in technology and computer-aided design.

Mrs. Trump gifted the queen six Tiffany & Co. English Sterling Silver Teaspoons and White House honey.

The teaspoons are Tiffany’s interpretation of the “King” designs, which were very popular in England and America in the late 19th century. Each teaspoon is engraved with Her Majesty Queen Camilla’s cypher.

The honey came from the White House beehive on the South Lawn near the Kitchen Garden.

It is part of Mrs. Trump’s honey project, and includes four bee colonies that produce the White House’s honey, which is used by the residence’s chefs to sweeten teas, make salad dressings and add to desserts.