A photo of King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosting Donald and Melania Trump at Windsor Castle has gone viral — not for the state occasion itself, but because of the First Lady’s striking appearance in the shot.
The Trumps are currently in the UK for a two-day state visit, which has seen the President meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers while Melania joined Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales for a series of engagements.
But it was a moment inside the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, September 17, that quickly lit up social media.
In the picture, Charles and Camilla appear animated as they chat with Donald Trump while viewing items from the Royal Collection. Standing just off to the side, however, Melania is partly obscured by her enormous black hat, blending almost seamlessly into the dark furnishings.
Her choice of headwear, paired with an all-black outfit, created an optical illusion that left many online users doing a double take.
‘Fashionable Grim Reaper’ and ‘Lamp’ Comparisons
Within hours, the snap spread across Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), with commenters unleashing a flood of jokes.
“Why is Melania standing there like a fashionable grim reaper?” one user asked. Another admitted: “I didn’t even realise it was a person until I spotted the hands!”
Others said they thought she looked like a lamp, a coat rack, or even “a robot in off-mode.” Another popular comparison saw her likened to Beyoncé in her Formation video — a nod to Melania’s known love of oversized hats.
“It took me a minute to see her,” one commenter confessed, while another joked she resembled “three raccoons in a trench coat.”
The general verdict? “Actually hilarious how ridiculous this looks,” as one Reddit user summed it up.
Melania’s Day with the Royals
Away from the viral moment, Melania spent the morning with Queen Camilla touring Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House at Windsor. Later, she joined Princess Kate for an outdoor engagement with a group of Squirrel Scouts, aged four to five, who were working toward their “Go Wild” badges.
The children were treated to packed lunches prepared with honey from Kate’s Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Melania, in turn, handed out jars of White House honey — a sweet ending to a day that had already delivered an internet sensation.