Washington: Donald Trump spoke glowingly of the special relationship between “the two most exceptional nations the world has ever known” as he formally welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the White House on the first full day of their United States visit.
The US president said America had “no closer friend than the British”, citing their shared history, language and values, as he praised Charles for his thoughtfulness and public service.
“His Majesty’s intellect, passion and devotion have long been a blessing to the British people – not only to his own country, but to the cherished bond between the United States and the United Kingdom,” Trump said. “I am very certain that it will continue that way long into the future.”
The short speech followed a lavish welcome ceremony on a wet South Lawn of the White House, after which the two men sat down for a bilateral meeting. Later, Charles was due to travel the short distance to Capitol Hill to become the second British monarch – and first king – to address a joint session of Congress.
The royal visit comes at a sensitive time for US-UK relations after Trump turned against British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his reluctance to participate in the war against Iran.
Shortly before the welcoming ceremony, a potentially explosive report in The Financial Times revealed British ambassador to the US Christian Turner – who was seated in the front row – had told a group of British students that Israel was actually the country with which the US had a special relationship.
“I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States – and that is probably Israel,” Turner told the students in February, according to a recording obtained by the newspaper.
He also said it was “extraordinary” that the Jeffrey Epstein scandal has not had further ramifications in the US, compared to the UK where it brought down his predecessor as ambassador, Peter Mandelson, and is doing severe damage to Starmer, who appointed Mandelson.
The King will address the US-UK relationship in his speech to Congress, and is also expected to touch on NATO and the US-UK-Australia alliance, according to a Buckingham Palace officials. The king previously raised the importance of AUKUS during Trump’s state visit to the UK last year.
The royals were treated to English weather for their first full day of their US trip, with a light rain falling during the official greeting ceremony at the White House.
Dignitaries seated on either sides of the lawn held umbrellas while the president’s Marine Band played for about 20 minutes before the Trumps emerged from the South Portico to receive Charles and Camilla, who arrived in a black BMW from Blair House shortly before 11am.
Charles then shook hands with US officials in the front row – Vice President JD Vance, cabinet secretaries Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Pete Hegseth, Howard Lutnick and White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles – while Trump shook hands with the Brits, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Turner, the ambassador.
National anthems God Save the Queen and The Star-Spangled Banner played amid cannon fire, before Trump walked Charles through a military guard of honour. After they returned to the dais, Trump stood awkwardly behind the podium for several minutes as the band finished playing.
“What a beautiful British day this is,” he began, to laughter from the large crowd gathered on the lawn. “And it really is.”
While Trump’s speech focused on the two nations’ enduring bond, it also contained several moments of levity, including when he spoke about his late mother Mary MacLeod’s admiration for Queen Elizabeth II and her eldest son, Charles.
“My mother would be glued to the television, and she’d say, ‘Look Donald, look how beautiful that is,’” Trump said of watching royal ceremonies when he was much younger.
“I also remember her saying, very clearly, ‘Young Charles, he’s so cute’. My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it?”
Trump also told the King his much-anticipated speech to the US Congress was “going to make everybody very envious of that beautiful accent of yours”.
Following the ceremony, the four walked up the stairs of the South Portico, and Trump and Charles chatted as they stood on the balcony and awaited a military flyover by four F-35 fighter jets. Camilla and first lady Melania Trump stood at their respective husbands’ sides.
The first lady wore a white silk and wool jacket and shirt by Ralph Lauren Collection, with a straw hat by Eric Javits and Manolo Blahnik pumps. Camilla wore a pale green coat dress with matching hat, adorned with the Cullinan V Diamond brooch.
As an official gift, the king will give the president a framed facsimile of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk in the White House, the originals of which are held in London’s National Maritime Museum.
The president, meanwhile, gave the king a custom facsimile of a letter written in 1785 by John Adams, the first US ambassador to Britain, to American statesman John Jay.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.