On January 7, 2026, David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, visited Mount Vernon for a ceremony celebrating the enduring friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom. Held in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, the event marked the presentation of a twin titanium time capsule to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. The capsule will be installed beneath the plaza at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
Lammy joined Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, Mount Vernon President & CEO Douglas Bradburn, Regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association Anne Neal Petri, the Friends of the Washington Statue, and other guests for the presentation. The time capsule was created as a companion to one placed beneath the restored George Washington statue in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2025.
Lammy remarked:
The 250th anniversary represents one of history’s most remarkable reconciliations from adversaries to the closest of allies.
Washington Monument Time Capsule for America’s 250th Anniversary (Jordan Sabillo / MVLA)
As part of the ceremony, Lammy presented a commemorative capstone on behalf of the U.K. government. The capstone was carved from an original Portland limestone step replaced during the restoration of the George Washington statue in Trafalgar Square. Featuring six-pointed stars inspired by George Washington’s Headquarters Flag, the capstone will accompany the time capsule when it is placed near the Washington Monument. The capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 4, 2276.
Alongside Bradburn, Secretary Doug Burgum, Regent Petri, Governor and First Lady Youngkin, Lammy was led on a tour of the Mansion and the grounds. He also laid a wreath at Washington’s Tomb and signed Mount Vernon’s guest book.
Lammy places a wreath on George Washington’s tomb. (Jordan Sabillo / MVLA)
Time capsules are about speaking to the future,” Lammy said, “and I'm confident that when the one that we're dedicating today is opened by our descendants, three things will be set. First, the United States will continue to lead the free world and the values that have shaped it. Second, the U.K. will still be its closest ally and most dependable partner. And third, that together we will continue to anchor the great Western family as two free, multiracial, English-speaking peoples, forever chasing new horizons.
Lammy inspects time capsule with Secretary Doug Burgum (center) and Governor Youngkin (right). (Jordan Sabillo / MVLA)
The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom celebrates the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The ceremony highlighted the special relationship between the U.S. and U.K., and the enduring legacy of George Washington, as denoted by his statue in London’s Trafalgar Square and Virginia and the United Kingdom’s contributions to a time capsule.
