Trump and King Charles praise each other in banquet speeches as thousands protest in London

DONALD TRUMP AND King Charles III of Britain had a love-in this evening at a banquet in Windsor Castle that was thrown to receive the US President on his second historic state visit to the UK. 

Trump called Charles a “very, very special man” and listed his passions, including the environment and architecture. 

There was a 160-strong crowd in the room, which included several billionaire CEOs such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. 

Media kingpin Rupert Murdoch was there, along with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Prince William and Princess Kate were also in attendance.

Charles spoke first and he welcomed Donald and Melania Trump to the “unique” and “important” occasion, saying that it was one that reflects the unique bond between the two countries. 

He also spoke of their joint commitment to “finding solutions” to some of the world’s “most intractable conflicts”. 

Charles finished off his speech by making a toast to “the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States of America”. 

Trump opened his speech by saying that the state visit was one of the “highest honours” of his life. 

He said that the word “special” does not do “justice” when it comes to describing the nature of the relationship between the US and the UK. 

Overall, Trump actually stuck to script with his speech – which is quite rare for him. 

He did say that he’d made America the “hottest country in the world”, and he joked about how he hoped he will be the only US President to get two state visits to the UK. 

He went on to say: “We’re joined by history and faith, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny.

“We’re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem, each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together.

“The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable and we are, as a country, as you know, doing unbelievably well.”

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Protests

Some 21 miles away in London, thousands of people took to the streets this afternoon to demonstrate against Trump’s visit. 

There was a heavy police presence from Regent Street to Parliament Square as protesters marched through the capital, with people from as many as 50 campaign groups taking part.

The Met Police said up to 5,000 people were at a rally in Parliament Square near the Houses of Parliament, where speakers including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and leader of the Green party Zack Polanski spoke out against Trump’s visit.

Polanski told the PA news agency the pomp and ceremony of the US President’s state visit was “absolutely outrageous”.

He said: “Of course, we should have a relationship with the American president who’s democratically elected, but to give him a state visit, millions of pounds spent on security, a red carpet, the pomp and ceremony of everything that’s happening – that’s absolutely outrageous.”

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said this afternoon it had arrested two people over public order incidents linked to the visit.

At the central London rally, Corbyn congratulated activists who projected an image of Trump and paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle. 

Four people were arrested yesterday in connection with the incident.

The agenda for the rest of the visit

This is Trump’s second rodeo when it comes to grand tours of the UK. He was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.

There was no public element to his first day in the UK as he remained within the private Windsor Castle estate. The Trumps will stay in the royal residence overnight. 

On the way to the banquet, Trump got a carriage procession through the estate with Charles, Camilla, William and Kate. The route was lined by the UK armed forces and military bands. 

The Trumps also visited the late Queen’s tomb in St George’s Chapel. 

Tomorrow, Trump will head to Chequers to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

He will stop off for a look at the Winston Churchill archives there before going to a bilateral meeting. 

Most of tomorrow will be spent at Chequers looking at various royal sights, including Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library. 

At one stage, Melania will join Princess Kate at Frogmore Gardens for a meeting with the Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels Programme. 

Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria will be the ones to wave goodbye to the Trumps tomorrow evening.

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