First Lady Melania Trump met with ‘Chelsea Pensioners’ and school children at the renowned Royal Hospital retirement home for war veterans on Friday morning.
The First Lady was accompanied to the famous Royal Chelsea Hospital retirement home in London by Prime Minister Theresa May’s husband, Philip, while President Donald J Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Mrs May at Chequers, Buckinghamshire.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 13: U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, is accompanied by Philip May, the husband of British Prime Minister Theresa May as she meets British military veterans known as “Chelsea Pensioners” at Royal Hospital Chelsea on July 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Luca Bruno – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
‘Chelsea Pensioners’ are residents at the Royal Hospital, which is a retirement home for former members of Britain’s army where “any former soldier of the British Army over the age of 65, who is facing spending their advanced years alone, can apply for residence as an In-Pensioner,” according to the Royal Hospital.
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) meets a British military veteran known as a Chelsea Pensioner (R) during a visit to the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London on July 13, 2018. (Photo by Luca Bruno / POOL / AFP/Getty Images)
The Royal Hospital was founded by King Charles in 1682 as a retreat for veterans and was inspired by Les Invalides in Paris. It is home to around 300 male and female veterans including those who served in Korea, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, and World War II.
US First Lady Melania Trump (L) shakes hands with a schoolboy as she helps children to make poppies as she meets British military veterans known as “Chelsea Pensioners” during a visit the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London on July 13, 2018. (Photo credit LUCA BRUNO/AFP/Getty Images)
Chelsea Pensioners are known for their red coats — known as ‘Scarlets’ — and black, tricorne hats.
The scarlet coat and the tricorne hat are worn together with white gloves for ceremonial occasions.
The ‘Blues’ uniform — a blue coast with shako cap — is worn on a daily basis and can only be worn within a two-mile radius of the Hospital.
With the special visit of the First Lady, Chelsea Pensioners sported their Scarlets on Friday.
Mrs Trump helped children make poppies — red paper badges sold annually in the United Kingdom to mark Armistice Day (November 11th) with the proceeds going to the veterans’ charity, the Royal British Legion.
US First Lady Melania Trump (2L) and the British prime minister’s husband Philip May (L) stand with school-children waving flags during a visit to the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London on July 13, 2018. (Photo by LUCA BRUNO/AFP/Getty Images)
The First Lady then joined the children and pensioners in the garden and enjoyed a game of bowls — a British form of lawn bowling.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 13: First Lady, Melania Trump, tries her hand at bowls as she meets British Army veterans, known as Chelsea Pensioners, at Royal Hospital Chelsea on July 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)