The royal couple are on a week-long tour of the US

The royal couple were greeted by a guard of honour as they laid a wreath of red and white flowers in Washington.

Charles and Camilla then chatted easily with American war veterans waiting in the bright sunshine.

The couple have now arrived in New Orleans where they will meet survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Surprise gift

But the pair did not leave Washington empty-handed.

An 81-year-old Navy veteran slipped the prince his submarine tie clip after Charles had commented on it.

An 81-year-old veteran gave Prince Charles a gift

Stan Levy said: "Charles commented on my tie clip, so I just took it off and gave it to him as a remembrance of the Submarine Navy in WWII."

Before leaving the US capital, Charles and Camilla visited a workshop at the Folger Shakespeare Library where youngsters study the Bard.

The prince and the duchess got on the stage before being shown around the theatre and the world's largest Shakespeare collection.