It was a very American welcome for a very British visitor, viewed through Scranton eyes.
"You read about them, and hear about them, but rarely do you get to see the King and Queen of England," Virginia McGregor said.
The Lackawanna County resident and her husband Robert were among the guests perambulating on the lush green lawns of the U.K. ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. Monday afternoon for a garden party welcoming King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The royals touched down Monday for a four-day U.S. tour that is intended to be a celebration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence from Great Britain, NPR reports.
The guest list for their garden party welcome at the embassy on Washington's leafy Massachusetts Avenue NW was bipartisan, said McGregor, who serves as Democratic National Committee treasurer.
"I think that's why I was included on the list," she said.
But McGregor said her presence also dovetailed with the Semiquincentennial theme, given another one of her roles.
"To make it even more special, I am on America 250 Pennsylvania," she said of the commission brought together to celebrate the state's pivotal role in American life since 1776.
McGregor described "quite a mix" of guests.
"It was cabinet secretaries ... Congress people from both sides, senators from both sides, a lot of media that were there socializing," she said.
As far as she could tell, though, McGregor and her husband were the lone representatives from our region.
"No, no one [else] from Northeastern Pennsylvania," she said.
Visit comes as tensions run high
The royal visit also comes at a time when U.K.-U.S. relations have been strained and security concerns were paramount.
In recent weeks, Trump has lambasted Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his unwillingness to join U.S. military attacks on Iran, PBS reports, and Charles had been facing pressure to cancel the trip from members of Parliament in Britain.
Starmer is Britain's head of government, while Charles is its head of state. The monarch travels abroad "at the request of the elected government," PBS pointed out, and "the long-discussed visit may be seen as an effort by Starmer's government to ease the tensions caused by the war, or at least not enflame them."
The royals are required to remain politically neutral, but "the monarchy is considered a tool of the U.K.'s soft power, and Trump may be particularly receptive to that soft power," NPR reported. He has spoken warmly of Charles and his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and Trump's Scottish-born mother was known to be fond of the monarchy.
Then, on Saturday night, another potential hurdle: Trump and other high-ranking officials were evacuated from a ballroom at the Washington Hilton after an alleged gunman tried to attack the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The incident raised security concerns in London. BBC reported Sunday that officials decided to proceed with the visit "after discussions on both sides of the Atlantic through the day."
McGregor said she had never previously attended an event with the royal family so she had no sense of what a typical level of security would be, but Monday's gathering "felt very secure and very well organized."
It also felt apolitical, she said.
"There was no talk of politics," McGregor said. "It was really just talking about how great it was that this visit was happening during our nation's birthday."
"It was a very uplifting and happy occasion, and we are very grateful to have been included in it," she added. "And it was nice that it was such a bipartisan crowd."
McGregor did not have the chance to speak with Charles or Camilla at length, though she was steps away as they mingled with guests. The king did not give a formal speech, she said but talked with people individually and in small groups — as his mother was known to do at such events.
"My husband and I both nodded and said hello," McGregor said. "He stopped and talked to people that he knew, but it was very relaxed."
What does one wear to a royal garden party?
McGregor said she received her invitation with the royal crest on Thursday.
For civilians the recommended attire were lounge suits and day dress, with "hats not encouraged." That stands in contrast to such garden parties in Britain, where women often wear elaborate custom hats and men wear tall silk top hats.
"It was a totally American crowd," said McGregor, who wore a deep purple dress while husband Robert wore a dark suit and tie.
The food and libations were thoroughly British, however.
The menu, which McGregor shared, included items familiar to any Anglophile. Among them: Scottish smoked salmon, roasted British beef, West Country Cheddar, scones with strawberries and Devonshire clotted cream, Bakewell tarts, Victoria sponge cake, and Fortnum and Mason teas.
"It was a lot of tea sandwiches and small desserts. It was lovely," McGregor said.
Making lasting memories
McGregor said she was in eighth grade in 1976 when the U.S. celebrated its Bicentennial.
"I remember all the things that were going on, because there were a lot of things that came through the City of Scranton," she said.
While the Electric City did not host a royal visit, Queen Elizabeth II spoke in Philadelphia that summer, praising America's Founding Fathers for teaching the British "to respect the right of others to govern themselves in their own way."
McGregor said Charles III's royal visit of 2026 will be an unforgettable part of celebrating the nation's Semiquincentennial.
"When we look back years from now, as I look back to 1976, this will be something I'll remember and make sure my children remember," she said.
