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.
PHOTO GALLERY: TRUMP’S WINDSOR CASTLE ARRIVAL WITH KING CHARLES, WILLIAM AND KATE
“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.
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She died in 2000 at age 88.
At the state banquet held Wednesday evening at St. George’s Hall, guests were served a Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne from the president’s mother’s birth year.
Before the feast, Trump said his second state visit was “one of the highest honors of my life.”
“It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here and, if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents and this was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time,” said Trump.
“But this is truly one of the highest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country.”
Over the years, Trump has spoken favorably about the royals.
WATCH: ROYAL FAMILY WELCOMES TRUMP, FIRST LADY DURING SECOND OFFICIAL STATE VISIT
During his trip to Scotland in July, Trump described them as “really great people” to reporters at a press conference.
“… I think the U.K. is very lucky; you could have people that weren’t great people,” the president said, as quoted by People magazine. “I don’t know if I can say that, but you could have people that weren’t.”
He also spoke highly of the late queen following her death in Sept. 2022. England’s longest-reigning monarch was 96.
“Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time, as quoted by People.
“Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the royal family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief.”
“Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain,” he continued. “Her leadership and enduring diplomacy secured and advanced alliances with the United States and countries around the world.”
“However, she will always be remembered for her faithfulness to her country and her unwavering devotion to her fellow countrymen and women.”
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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.
In her 2024 memoir, Melania revealed that the couple exchanged letters with King Charles “to this day.”
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.
