King Charles’s U.S. Visit Came with a Surprising Break From Tradition

In case you missed it, King Charles III and Queen Camilla just wrapped an official state visit to the United States. The four-day trip ran April 27–30 and was packed with a pretty full-on itinerary: a private tea at the White House, an address to Congress, a ceremonial military review and more. There was also a garden party on the schedule that made headlines for breaking with tradition in a surprising way.

The event, which took place at the British ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., came with a slightly unusual dress code twist: guests were being discouraged from wearing hats. According to the Washington Examiner’s Rob Crilly, who obtained an invitation to the party, the note next to the dress code simply read “hats not encouraged.”

If you know anything about royal garden parties, that’s kind of a big departure. Traditionally, these events are very much a “dress to impress” situation. Think lounge or business suits for men (sometimes with top hats) and dresses for women, often paired with hats or fascinators. So yeah, this little update definitely stands out, even though this technically wasn't a "royal" event.

Buckingham Palace officially announced the state visit on March 31, noting in an Instagram post, “On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America.”

The palace also emphasized the bigger picture behind the trip, adding, “Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the UK and the US, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence.”

And it doesn’t end in the U.S. After the visit, the King will travel on to Bermuda, where he’ll carry out his first royal visit there as monarch.

“The King will continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory,” the post added.

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