King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday visited the National 9/11 Memorial in New York City, honoring victims of the 2001 attacks. The stop was a part of the royal couple’s four-day trip to the US to mark 250 years of American independence. The two had already met President Donald Trump and first lady Melania at the White House earlier this week.
On Wednesday, King Charles and his wife also met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and other dignitaries.
However, one talking point during their trip has been Queen Camilla’s choice of outfits. At the White House, observers noted that the royal and Melania Trump did not wear identitical but similar outfits.
Why Camilla and Melania wore similar outfits
From daytime events to the state dinner, the two women consistently appeared in complementary colors and silhouettes, a strategy experts say was deliberate and rooted in diplomatic messaging rather than coincidence. According to Business Insider, advance coordination between royal staff and the Office of the First Lady is standard practice during major state visits to ensure wardrobe choices project unity, respect and strategic visual balance.
Anita McBride, former chief of staff to Laura Bush, previously said such planning included direct conversations with royal dressmakers ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2007 US visit.
For Monday’s White House welcome, Camilla wore a white coatdress with silver floral detailing, while Melania chose a butter-yellow Adam Lippes skirt suit. Though not identical, the looks shared complementary spring tones that created visual cohesion.
By Tuesday’s event at the White House tennis pavilion, the coordination became even more noticeable. Camilla arrived in a mint-green Fiona Clare coatdress with white accessories and Queen Elizabeth’s Cullinan V diamond brooch, while Melania wore a pale Ralph Lauren skirt suit paired with an Eric Javits hat – blending British and American fashion houses while maintaining a synchronized pastel palette.
Style strategist Lauren Rothman told Business Insider the wardrobe choices reflected what she calls ‘visual diplomacy’.
“Unlike celebrities on the red carpet, the question isn’t, ‘Did they look good?’ To me, the question is, ‘Did the visual match the responsibility?’” Rothman said. “I think the answer is yes, Melania’s visual matched the responsibility. She was elegant, yet not outshining. That’s visual diplomacy at work.”
Experts say this kind of wardrobe planning is especially important during historic diplomatic moments like Charles and Camilla’s visit – the first British state visit to the US since Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip traveled to Washington in 2007.