President Trump thanked King Charles III for “one of the highest honors of my life” Wednesday night as he was feted at an ornate state dinner in Windsor Castle — before calling for the US and UK to continue to defend “the values of the English-speaking world.”
Trump, 79, spoke beneath heraldic shields and knights’ armor in St. George’s Hall, where he was positioned at the center of a banquet table between Charles, 76, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is recovering from cancer treatment.
First lady Melania Trump, glowing in a bold yellow Carolina Herrera dress with a lilac belt, was seated nearby between Prince William, his father’s heir, and Queen Camilla.
“This is truly one of the highest honors of my life — such respect for you and such respect for your country,” said the president, joking that he would like to be the “last” American chief executive to receive two state visit invitations.
The remark earned a laugh from the King, who had earlier joked that he nearly married into the family of former President Richard Nixon in a nod to the “special relationship” between Washington and London.