London In Miniature? The Royal Family’s Visits to Philadelphia

What did William Penn and Benjamin Franklin have in common? One key commonality would be their vision for Philadelphia. The center of global commerce and trade in the new world by the 18th century — Philadelphia’s future was limitless. Both men saw the importance of the city to North America and the growth of Philadelphia into a major metropolis. Both saw the opportunity of its importance to the world.

And here Michael Thomas Leibrandt looks at the Royal Family in Philadelphia.

President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the in the the White House before a State Dinner. April 28, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

After King Charles and Queen Camilla took a historic overseas four-day trip in April 2026 — it’s yet another chapter in the story of the British Monarchy visiting the land that they once lost. Fifty years ago — King Charles’ mother and father (Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip) arrived at Penn’s Landing for the Bicentennial Celebration in Philadelphia. They toured the sites where American Independence was born in opposition to King George III. It was the first time that a British Monarch had set foot in Philadelphia. 

Even with all of its importance on the world stage in the 1600s and 1700s — King Charles II had granted William Penn the land to build Philadelphia in 1681 — Charles never visited the colonies. Neither did his nephew — King George III — who never even set foot on what would become American soil.

Not long before the start of the American Civil War in 1860, the British Prince of Wales visited Philadelphia. He would plant a tree at Girard College — and was the center of massive attention wherever he went. The visit was commemorated 150 years later. Nearly four decades later — he would become King Edward VII. 

Another Prince of Wales would visit Philadelphia one hundred and forty-seven years later — when Prince Charles arrived. Some thirty-one years after his mother and father came to celebrate America’s 200th Anniversary — something unthinkable in 18th century Britain — the Prince toured the Liberty Bell, attended a white-tie gala, and celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Academy of Music. He even took time to see mural arts in the City and to meet with the students of International House. Queen Camilla even saw the crack in the Liberty Bell.

Philadelphia never did quite become as influential as the capital of the British Empire. What it did become — as evidence of the throngs of visitors who are visiting the City this year to see where American Independence was formed — was one of the world’s most significant. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip brought a gift with them to Philadelphia in 1976. It was a Centennial Bell that celebrates the bond between the people of America and England. It still stands on display in Philadelphia to this day.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt lives and works in Abington Township, PA.