President Trump humorously quipped that his marriage to Melania was unlikely to match the longevity of his parents’ union, which lasted 63 years, in his welcome address to the British royals.
He later praised the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, as an ‘incredible woman’ who is ‘greatly missed on both sides of that mighty Atlantic.’
The President and First Lady have rolled out the red carpet for King Charles and Queen Camilla, welcoming them on their four-day state visit with pomp and pageantry.
A traditional military ceremony by the US Army Herald Trumpets was followed by national anthems of both countries, played by the US Marine Band, and a Presidential Salute Battery rendering a 21-gun salute, as part of their official arrival on Tuesday.
Charles and Queen Camilla have a jam-packed schedule for their second day in Washington, DC, which includes a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump, his address to Congress and a state dinner.
In a historic address to Congress at 3pm, the King is expected to emphasize the two countries’ long history and shared democratic values in an effort to strengthen the special UK-US relationship, which has been under serious strain in recent months.
The visit is the most important foreign trip of Charles’s reign so far, but it now has the added element of heightened security concerns after an attempted assassination of the President on Saturday at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
After the royal couple wraps up in DC, they will head to New York to honor 9/11 victims and then to Virginia to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Follow the Daily Mail for updates…
LIVE: Watch King Charles & Queen Camilla in Washington
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Trump jokes with Melania about their marriage
Donald Trump discussed his parents’ 63-year marriage, then turned to Melania and said, ‘That’s not a record we’re going to be able to match, darling.’
He added, ‘I’m sorry, just not going to work out that way.’
Trump explained that his mother moved to America from Scotland at 19 years old and met his father.
He said that his mother loved the royal family and Queen Elizabeth.
Speaker Mike Johnson welcomes King Charles
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson posted a welcome message to King Charles ahead of his address to Congress.
‘We look forward to welcoming His Majesty King Charles III to the Capitol today for his historic address to a Joint Meeting of Congress,’ Johnson wrote on X.
Leaders exchange gifts
King Charles gifted Donald Trump ‘a framed facsimile of the 1879 design plans for the Resolute Desk,’ according to Buckingham Palace.
Trump gave Charles ‘a custom facsimile of a letter written from John Adams to John Jay in 1785.’
Queen Camilla gifted First Lady Melania Trump a brooch by British jewelry designer Fiona Rae.
Melania gave the Queen six Tiffany’s English King Sterling Silver Teaspoons and White House honey.
WATCH: Monarchs explore the White House
Trump says Oval Office meeting with King Charles was ‘really good’
Donald Trump told reporters his brief Oval Office meeting with King Charles was ‘really good.’
‘He’s a fantastic person. They’re incredible people and it’s a real honor,’ he added.
Melania Trump says she is doing ‘very well’ after White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting
When asked by reporters how she is doing after the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, Melania Trump responded, ‘Very well, thank you.’
Royals depart for US Capitol
Donald Trump and Melania waved at King Charles and Queen Camilla as they department for the US Capitol building.
The king is expected to address Congress around 3pm ET, and then the monarchs will return to the White House for dinner at 7pm.
Cigar smokers in Congress ‘ordered’ to put down their pipes out of ‘respect for the King’
Republican Tom Cole of Oklahoma, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations committee, told reporters that he had been asked by House Speaker Mike Johnson to refrain from smoking in his office on Monday or Tuesday.
Cole’s office is right next to where the members’ photo-op with the King is expected to take place.
‘I’m not allowed to smoke in my office either today or tomorrow,’ Cole said, per Politico.
‘It’s out of respect for the king. Not by order of the king. It’s by order of the speaker,’ he added.
First Lady and Queen Camilla pose with children
First Lady Melania Trump and Queen Camilla posed for a photo with children at their educational event.
Melania gifted the students a challenge coin, and Camilla gave them the book War Horse.
Donald Trump and King Charles sit down in the Oval Office
Melania Trump tries on Meta RayBan glasses
