On Thursday, King Charles and Queen Camilla finished their four-day state visit to the US with a few classic American activities. First, they traveled to Shenandoah National Park, where they met with the park’s employees and a group of teenagers who serve as junior rangers. Charles also got some face time with Doug Burgum, the secretary of the interior and former North Dakota governor who looks like he walked right off the set of a Taylor Sheridan show.
Finally, they met up with Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger during a block party in Front Royal, Virginia. Though it’s not entirely clear why this town of 15,000 was throwing a parade on a random Thursday, its citizens clearly wanted to make sure the king and queen had an authentic experience inside their picturesque white gazebo. There were clog dancers and baby animals wandering around. The king and queen shook hands with every member of a Little League team. They encountered a spread of picnic food. According to reporters on the scene, Charles was shocked to hear that each pizza was intended for only one person to eat. (No word on what he thought about the wings plated nearby.)
For the last century, royals have used their visits to both America and Canada as an opportunity to really get to know the common western-hemisphere man. And in addition to classic, somber occasions like a trip to Washington’s Tomb at Mount Vernon or Arlington Cemetery, they occasionally seek out opportunities to act like country bumpkins. Sometimes they show up in a small town and put on some plaid. Sometimes they go to a random grocery store. And of course, they even wear high-waisted shorts to Disneyworld.
So while they might have a special status in the United Kingdom, once they enter American airspace, it’s only a matter of time before they become yokels like the rest of us. Here are the highlights from a century of extremely American royal visits: