Trump hails special relationship with UK as he revels in pomp of historic state visit

WINDSOR, England - US President Donald Trump on Sept 17 hailed the special relationship between his country and Britain as he paid a gushing tribute to King Charles during his historic second state visit, calling it one of the highest honours of his life.

It was a day of unprecedented pomp for a foreign leader.

Mr Trump and his wife Melania were treated to the full array of British pageantry. Then the President sang the praises of his nation’s close ally.

“The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable,” he said in a speech during a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle, family home to British monarchs for almost 1,000 years.

Special relationship remains strong

Referring to the so-called special relationship between the two nations, Mr Trump said: “Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice.”

His speech will be music to the ears of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had proffered a state visit to win favour with Mr Trump, a well-known Anglophile and overt royal fan, shortly after the US President returned to office in January.

The two leaders met on Sept 18 at Mr Starmer’s Chequers country residence, where they hailed the deepening of their nations’ “special relationship”, and said that a raft of deals worth £250 billion (S$435 billion) had made those bonds “unbreakable”.

At the start of a business reception, some of the leading names in US and UK businesses were welcomed by the two leaders and praised for helping cement ties by investing in deals ranging from technology to energy.

Britain had rolled out the royal red carpet on Sept 17, giving Mr Trump the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit in living memory. The President made little secret of his delight at being not just the first US leader, but also the first elected politician, to be invited for two state visits.

“This is truly one of the highest honours of my life,” he said.

UK looking to use royal affection

Over the course of the visit, Britain is hoping to convert Mr Trump’s affection for the country – his mother came from Scotland – and admiration for the royals into concrete actions. Companies including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI have already pledged £31 billion in British investments over the next few years, in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy.

King Charles said in his speech: “The United Kingdom was your partner in the first trade deal of your administration, Mr President, bringing jobs and growth to both our countries. And no doubt, we can go even further as we build this new era of our partnership.”

But while Mr Starmer is banking on the royals to help cajole the President, pitfalls remain.

Polls show Mr Trump is widely unpopular in Britain and Mr Starmer, faced with plummeting poll ratings of his own and economic woes, will need to show that his royal trump card can reap benefits.

While there were many Trump supporters in crowds at Windsor in London, several thousand people marched to protest against the state visit.

“I quite simply dislike everything that Trump and his administration represent around the globe,” retiree Bryan Murray said.

Questions about Epstein linger

Awkward questions about late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein might also come to the fore. Last week, Mr Starmer sacked Mr Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to Washington over his ties to Epstein. This could lead to questions for both the premier and Mr Trump, whose own relationship with the financier has come under scrutiny.

Among the guests at the Sept 17 banquet was Mr Rupert Murdoch, whose Wall Street Journal publication the President is currently suing in a US$10 billion (S$13 billion) defamation case over an article linking the President with Epstein.

While there was a massive security operation in place in Windsor, police said four people had been arrested on Sept 16 after images of Mr Trump alongside Epstein were projected onto one of the castle’s towers. Mr Trump was not there at the time.

The Times newspaper has also reported that Britain would announce it was recognising a Palestinian state after Mr Trump had departed. The US opposes that move, which could prove a thorny issue in their talks.

Trump dazzled by pageantry

While the focus on Sept 18 turned to geopolitics and trade when Mr Starmer hosted Mr Trump at his Chequers country residence, Sept 17 was all about ceremony.

Mr Trump and Melania joined King Charles, his wife Camilla, and other royals and dignitaries for a carriage procession, with the route lined by 1,300 British service personnel.

Later, the Trumps viewed historical items from the Royal Collection relating to the US, and then visited St George’s Chapel, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth, who hosted Mr Trump for his first state visit in 2019, to lay a wreath on her tomb. She died in September 2022.

There was a further military parade and a fly-past by Britain’s Red Arrows aerobatics team, but poor weather meant British and US F-35 military jets – a symbol of bilateral defence collaboration – could not join.

The Trumps also found time for a private meeting with the King’s elder son, Prince William, and the heir’s wife Kate, which was described by the Prince’s spokesperson as “warm and friendly”. Mr Trump later praised “beautiful” Kate and said Prince William was “going to have unbelievable success in the future”.

As for King Charles, the 76-year-old monarch, he is a “very, very special man”, the President said. REUTERS