King Charles praises Trump’s role in seeking peace, reaffirms ‘closest defence relationship ever known’ between US and UK
Trump hails deep US-UK friendship while King Charles highlights strong defence ties and commends the president’s efforts in global conflict resolution.
Windsor Castle Hosts Second State Visit, Trump Hails ‘Highest Honour’ (Photo: AP)
The first day of US President Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK was packed with pomp and ceremony — from a carriage procession and a Red Arrows flypast to a beautiful state banquet at Windsor Castle.
Trump, the first US president ever invited for a second state visit, called the occasion a “singular privilege” and described it as one of the “highest honours” of his life. He even joked that he hoped it would be the last time a president received such an invitation twice, before listing what binds the nations: “History, language, culture, tradition, ancestry, and destiny,” BBC reported.
He added, “The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable.” Earlier, away from the cameras, Trump laid a wreath at Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb in a private gesture of respect.
According to the BBC, King Charles, in his address, praised Trump’s “commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts” and highlighted the countries’ “closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known.” Without mentioning Russia’s war in Ukraine, Charles said, “As tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine to deter aggression and secure peace.”
He toasted to Trump, Melania, and the American people, calling the occasion a renewal of “unshakeable trust” in the transatlantic friendship and the “shared commitment to independence and liberty”.
President Donald J. Trump and His Majesty King Charles III
While together, the King recalled old speculation from the 1970s that he might marry Richard Nixon’s daughter. “Had the media succeeded in their attempt to deepen the special relationship, I might have been married off into the Nixon family!” he joked. He teased Trump about Britain’s golf courses and cited shared cultural touchpoints: “From York to New York, from Birmingham, England to Birmingham, Alabama.”
Trump mostly stuck to his prepared remarks, speaking in a more serious tone than he usually does, though he couldn’t resist pointing out that he had made America “the hottest country in the world” since returning to office.
The evening ended with speeches, toasts, and cheers, with Trump sitting alongside the King at the long banquet table. The table itself took a week to put together and was lined with members of both the Royal Family and Trump’s administration.
The banquet brought together 160 guests, from world leaders to tech giants like Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, alongside media mogul Rupert Murdoch and a US official.
In his ending remarks, King Charles spoke about the long-standing bond between the UK and US, ahead of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence next year. He said it’s remarkable how far the two countries have come and wondered what the people of 1776, George Washington, who had vowed never to set foot on British soil, and King George III, his five-times-great-grandfather, would think of the friendship between their nations today.
Thousands of protesters gathered in London, voicing opposition to Trump’s visit. Looking ahead, Trump will travel to Chequers, the UK Prime Minister’s country house, for bilateral talks and technology partnership announcements with top US CEOs.
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Windsor Castle Hosts Second State Visit, Trump Hails ‘Highest Honour’ (Photo: AP) 
