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King Charles III presented Donald Trump with one of the coolest state dinner gifts

April 29, 2026 | | Print Article

At a White House state dinner on Tuesday, King Charles III gifted President Donald Trump a brass bell from a submarine named the HMS Trump that sank several Japanese ships during World War II.

“I’m delighted to present to you the original bell which hung on the conning tower of your valiant namesake,” King Charles told Trump. “May it stand as a testimony to our nation’s shared history and shining future. Should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring.”

According to the U.K. Metro, the HMS Trump “served as a Royal Navy submarine in World War II in the Pacific.” As for the submarine’s name, it was reportedly based on “no one in particular.”

“In the 1940s, most Royal Navy vessels were named with short ‘T’ names, including HMS Tiptoe, Truncheon and more,” the Metro notes.

King Charles also gave the president a framed replica of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk, which was reportedly made from the timbers of a British exploration ship known as the HMS Resolute.

“The ship was refitted and recovered by the US government before being sent back to England and presented to Queen Victoria in December 1856 as a gesture of goodwill and friendship between the two countries,” according to the Metro.

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“After serving in the Royal Navy until 1879, the ship’s timbers were used to make three desks in Kent, England. Queen Victoria then presented the finished Resolute Desk to then-US President Rutherford B Hayes in 1880,” the reporting continued.

President Trump, in turn, gave King Charles a custom replica of a letter written by former President John Adams to fellow Founding Father John Jay in 1785.

“In the letter, Adams describes King George III receiving him as the first US ambassador to Great Britain at St James Palace in London,” according to the Metro. “Mr Adams wrote about the emotions of the encounter as the pair met face to face, and that the King had said, although he was the ‘last to consent to the separation’, he would be first to meet US friendship.”

And finally, Queen Camilla gave First Lady Melania Trump a brooch designed by Fiona Rae, and the first lady gave the queen six Tiffany’s English King sterling silver teaspoons and some White House honey.

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“The teaspoons are each engraved with Camilla’s cypher and are Tiffany’s interpretation of the King designs that were popular in England and America in the late 19th century,” the Metro notes. “Meanwhile, the honey is a nod to the Queen’s interest in beekeeping and the pair’s shared appreciation of sustainability, nature, and craftsmanship.”

Earlier in the day, King Charles delivered a speech to Congress in which he began by vowing solidarity with the American people in the wake of the shooting over the weekend at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“We stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries,” he said.

King Charles also used his speech to pay tribute to his late mother, to praise NATO, to talk about the global support Ukraine needs, and to remind Americans that the relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. is one of “reconciliation, renewable and remarkable partnership.”

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“And so to the United States of America, on your 250th birthday, let our two countries rededicate ourselves to each other in the selfless service of our peoples and of all the peoples of the world,” he concluded. “God bless the United States and God bless the United Kingdom.”

Vivek Saxena
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