Donald Trump dropped in a few jokes about the Royal Family and his own while welcoming King Charles and Queen Camilla to the White House on Tuesday in a pomp-filled ceremony.
After Monday’s not-so-ceremonious arrival, the President and First Lady Melania Trump rolled out the red carpet and red coats to formally receive the King and Queen on a misty morning in Washington, DC.
As military bands blared before a crowd of US and UK military forces and citizens on the White House’s South Lawn, Trump addressed the two countries’ ‘special relationship’ and the historic significance of the royal visit.
Trump also folded in a deprecating quip about his own marriage to Melania while telling the tale of his parents’ 63-year union. He also gave her an intimate tap on the bum captured on camera, which quickly made the rounds on social media channels.
After recalling his Scottish-born mother’s fascination with the Royal Family, including her ‘crush’ on a young King Charles and her habit of being ‘glued to the screen’ whenever the royals were on TV, Trump dove into tales of his relatives.
He recalled how his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, came to the US at 19 and soon married ‘his incredible father’ Fred.
‘They were married for 63 years. And excuse me, if you don’t mind, that’s a record we won’t be able to match,’ Trump joked about his marriage to Melania.
‘Just not going to work out that way. We’ll do well, but we’re not going to do that well, 63 years.’
President Trump gave a speech welcoming King Charles and Queen Camilla to the US that also veered into some personal family tales about his parents and wife, Melania Trump
The presidential couple and the royals wave at the crowd on the White House’s South Lawn
Despite the joke at his and Melania’s expense, Trump showed some affection to Melania by placing his arm around her and planting his hand on her bum
Despite the joke coming at Melania and his expense, the President later displayed a gentle sign of affection for his wife of 21 years.
Trump placed his arm around Melania and planted his hand on her bum during the ceremony.
The brief sign of affection was memorialized in a picture taken by a keen photographer.
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‘Trump was in a very tactile mood with his wife, alternating between patting Charles on the arm or touching his back during their greeting today and placing an affectionate hand around Melania’s back in what looked like a gesture of appreciation and pride,’ body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail.
But it was Charles who stole the moment, according to James.
When Trump revealed his late mother once called the King ‘so cute,’ Charles’s head jerked visibly in shock before he managed a sheepish smile and a small dismissive wave, the body language expert said.
The claim that his mother ‘had a crush on Charles’ prompted another chortle and a lopsided grin of barely concealed embarrassment, James assessed.
Referring to ‘our colonial ancestors’ and the ‘centuries-old bond’ between the two countries, Trump also showered Charles with personal and playful compliments that visibly made the King squirm.
Members of the US Marine Corps marching band ahead of the arrival ceremony of Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington
Four US fighter jets flew overhead to dazzle spectators and the royals
At Trump’s mention of his ‘beautiful accent,’ Charles broke into a scoffing laugh of modest denial before sucking his lower lip into his mouth in a childlike gesture of diffidence.
The ceremony was adorned with respectful displays of statecraft that were mirrored on Trump’s September 2025 visit to London.
US military bands marched and played traditional American songs while dressed in formal red uniforms.
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Four fighter jets flew overhead to dazzle the royals and the hundreds of guests in attendance.
The weather was also characteristically British, with a light drizzle coming down at times as a cold breeze blew through.
The address was also devoid of political games and mentions of the Iran war.
There was no mention of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has butted heads with Trump at times, especially after not initially green-lighting the use of UK military bases for US soldiers heading to Iran.
Trump and the King appear to have good chemistry and a congenial relationship as the pair exchanged smiles.
The King is on a soft-power trip, attempting to smooth over relations that have grown thorny.
Trump has said that Starmer ‘is no Winston Churchill,’ and after bruising the nation with heightened tariffs and its initial refusal to aid the US with its war on Iran, 10 Downing Street is likely relieved that the King’s visit and interactions with the President were well received.
