NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump’s long-standing admiration for the British royal family goes back decades.
On Wednesday, the 79-year-old president and first lady Melania Trump were greeted by Prince William and Kate Middleton, along with military honor guards and mounted troops at Windsor Castle. Trump embarked on his second visit to the U.K. as King Charles III’s guest.
“The United States and United Kingdom share a special relationship that is bolstered by President Trump’s family ties to Scotland,” Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, told Fox News Digital.
“This visit gives the president the opportunity to strengthen ties with a treasured ally while advancing mutual economic and foreign policy interests,” she said. “The president looks forward to spending time with his friend, King Charles, members of the royal family, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and leading U.S. and U.K. business leaders.”
No U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit, The Associated Press reported. Trump’s first state visit came in 2019 during his first term, when he was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2019, The New York Times reported that one of Trump’s earliest memories, one he frequently shares, is seeing his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, being enthralled by Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
He described how she “barely moved for hours” admiring the ceremony taking place 3,400 miles away inside Westminster Abbey. Trump was 6 years old at the time.
“I also remember my father that day, pacing around impatiently. ‘For Christ’s sake, Mary,’ he said, ‘enough is enough, turn it off,’” Trump recalled, according to the Times. “My mother didn’t even look up. They were total opposites in that sense.”
Mary Trump was described as a poor girl who emigrated from Scotland and worked for a time as a housemaid in a mansion. She was the youngest of 10 children who sailed to the U.S. around 1930.
In March 2024, Trump expressed his admiration for the royals during an interview with Nigel Farage, a news presenter and former U.K. politician, published by GB News.
“I’m a big fan of the concept of the royal family,” Trump said. “… I’m a little prejudiced because I thought the queen was incredible. … She’s almost never made a mistake.”
When speaking about Charles, Trump noted they disagreed on environmental issues but said he still liked the reigning monarch.
“We have different views, but we get along,” said Trump. “I think he’s a really wonderful guy, we get along, he was a little bit more into environmental restrictions than I am.”
“I like him and I hope he’s going to be OK,” Trump added, referring to the king’s health. Charles, 76, was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in 2024.
Trump’s book, “Save America,” which was published in September 2024, featured a photo of the president with the late queen, Newsweek reported. The image had a caption that read, “They said I made the Queen happy, and I said, ‘No, she made me happy!’”
Ahead of his visit, Trump hailed the “great honor” of being hosted by his “friend” the king at “the ultimate” Windsor Castle for his second state visit, the U.K.’s Standard reported.
“My relationship is very good with the U.K., and Charles, as you know, who’s now king, is my friend,” Trump told reporters, quoted by the outlet. “It’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honored twice. So, it’s a great honor.”
“And this one’s at Windsor,” said Trump. “And I don’t want to say one’s better than the other, but they say Windsor Castle is the ultimate, right? So, it’s going to be nice.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital that Trump’s appreciation for the royals is “welcomed” by the House of Windsor and cements the special relationship between the two countries.
The 79-year-old president isn’t the only one who has developed a relationship with the royals.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that the king wrote a private letter to Trump after he survived an assassination attempt in 2024.
“Charles is a great letter writer,” Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” told Fox News Digital.
“I don’t know where he finds the time, but he loves to write letters,” she said. “He certainly used to write these very long, beautiful letters. I’ve seen a few of them and thought, ‘I’ll copy that phrase myself!’ He’s very effusive. He would be a great pen pal to have.”
The invitation for Trump’s second state visit was hand-delivered by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier this year during a meeting at the White House.
After reading it, Trump said it was a “great, great honor” and appeared pleased to know he would be staying at Windsor Castle, The Associated Press reported.
“That’s really something,” he said.
The post Trump’s admiration for British royals traces to late mother’s deep reverence and influence appeared first on Fox News.
