Others who haven’t followed the royal visit closely, still are excited. “I think it’s cool that he’s here,” said Harry James, 21, who works in a fish and chips shop in New York. “It’s cool we can keep these traditions going.”
Holmes believes the visit already has improved US perceptions of the King. “Trump is such a polarising figure, and I think people were very eager to see their interactions,” she said.
His dinner comments, in particular, have “really taken off”.
“I think people are delighted to see British wit on display,” she added.
Near the White House on Tuesday, some of those who turned out to watch the King’s motorcade pass said they felt hopeful.
“It’s natural for human beings to disagree,” said Maribeth Massie, of Maine, who watched the King’s motorcade near the White House on Monday. “Hopefully they’ll lay some common ground together and move forward.”
Knutton also hopes the visit helps – in part for his business’ sake. His store imports nearly all of its goods from the UK, and feels the pinch of Trump’s tariffs, he said.
“I’m sure it will have an effect,” he said. “But I’m not expecting magical wand-waving.”
(With additional reporting from Nada Tawfik in Washington DC and Sakshi Venkatraman in New York)
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bbc.co.uk ’
