Trump lays wreath at tomb of Queen Elizabeth II

President Trump laid a wreath Wednesday at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle outside London.

Mr. Trump was greeted by two church officials in red robes before he and first lady Melania Trump took their seats in the chapel.

A choir of children sang “Gloria in Excelsis Deo,” accompanied by the chapel organ.

Following the brief ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Trump spoke to the girls and boys in the choir for several minutes and could be seen laughing with the youngsters before they posed for a picture with them.

“See those people over there? That’s the media,” Mr. Trump said to the choir, pointing to the press pool.

The queen had hosted Mr. Trump on his visit to the United Kingdom in 2019, during his first term. The country’s longest-reigning monarch, Elizabeth II died at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022. King Charles III, her eldest child, immediately succeeded her.

White House officials including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino also attended the ceremony.

The Trumps were given a short tour of the wood-paneled area of the chapel known as the quire, where officials pointed out some details.

Prior to the wreath laying at St. George’s, Mr. Trump and Charles spent time in the green drawing room and the library at Windsor, where the librarian curates a collection of items to be presented for each head of state who visits in an official state capacity.

Items that were shown included a letter from King George III, who was king during the American Revolution, and an essay he wrote about losing the American colonies. Mr. Trump also viewed writings by President Eisenhower during World War II.

There was also the exchange of gifts between the Trumps and Charles and Camilla. The president and first lady gave the king and queen a replica of Eisenhower’s sword.

It symbolizes the “profound respect,” Buckingham Palace says, and a “reminder of the historical partnership between the U.S. and the U.K. that was critical” to winning World War II.

The Trumps also gave the queen a brooch with gemstones that illustrate the nature of their budding relationship.

The gifts from the queen and the king to Mr. Trump included a Union Jack flag that flew over Buckingham Palace on the day of his second inauguration, and to the first lady, a silver and enamel bowl and a designer handbag from a U.K. designer.

At Elizabeth’s funeral, as many as 2 million had poured into the streets of London to catch a glimpse of her casket as it made its final journey to Windsor Castle. The casket was placed next to the remains of Prince Philip, her husband who preceded her in death by 17 months.

An estimated global television audience of 4 billion people viewed the proceedings, making it the largest single event ever broadcast.

The queen’s coffin was interred with Prince Philip’s remains at the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex within St. George’s. Elizabeth’s parents and sister, Margaret, also are buried there.