Inside Blair House, Where King Charles III and Queen Camilla Are Staying During Their USA Visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are currently across the pond for a four-day state visit, and the royals have had an eventful itinerary since they touched down at Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC on April 27. So far, the king and queen attended tea and garden parties with their hosts, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, and toured the recently expanded White House beehive on the South Lawn. The king then addressed Congress before heading to a White House state dinner. On April 29, the duo visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and come Thursday, they’ll spend the final day of their trip in Virginia, learning about Appalachian and indigenous American cultures.
During their United States jaunt, Charles and Camilla have traded the comforts of their royal residence, Clarence House, for one of the nation’s most exclusive dwellings: Blair House. Situated directly across the street from the Oval Office, the storied 120-room compound nicknamed “The President’s Guest House” has been used as America’s official diplomatic lodging for over eight decades. Built in 1824 and later purchased by the US Government in 1942, Blair House has hosted some of the world’s most influential leaders, including numerous president-elects before their inaugurations and King Charles’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. During her state visit in 1991, she became the first monarch to address a joint meeting of Congress—Charles followed in her footsteps this time around.
Ahead of the royal couple’s arrival, Blair House was transformed into their “home away from home,” a Trump administration official told the New York Post. “We usually get a preference sheet from their Embassy, identifying food, beverage, floral and other preferences and see to it that those preferences are taken care of. No detail is too small! And while those dignitaries are in residence, Blair House becomes temporarily their nation’s property. We place their flag on the outside, indicating as much.”
The royal couple’s visit comes as America’s 250th anniversary of independence from Britain approaches. In honor of this historic occasion, revisit AD’s tour of Blair House from 2024, when the dwelling received a refresh courtesy of AD100 interior designer Mark D. Sikes. —India Roby
Since 1942, US presidents have ensconced visiting dignitaries at Blair House, a complex of four highly secured town houses run by the Department of State and anchored by Blair House itself—an 1824 former private home that is celebrating its bicentennial this year. Just a two-minute walk from the White House, “Blair House is often referred to as ‘the front door of America,’ with foreign delegations coming that have possibly never visited our country before,” says Sarah Perot, chairman of the board of trustees for the Blair House Foundation, a nonpartisan charitable organization. “It’s really our opportunity to extend just the warmest hospitality. This is such a major part of our diplomatic efforts.”
The retreat down the street is so welcoming that visitors—which last year included delegations from Brazil, Japan, and Ireland—often remark on how at home they feel there. “If they were to stay at a hotel, there would be [more] people around and they don’t ‘own’ the space. Here, they’re free,” says Matthew Wendel, assistant chief of protocol and general manager of Blair House, who notes that he personally welcomes arrivals to “their house” when he greets them out front—a homier entrée than any red carpet. “We fly their flag outside,” Wendel notes.
