President Donald Trump injected a personal note into Tuesday's state arrival ceremony for King Charles III and Queen Camilla on the White House South Lawn, joking that his late mother, Mary MacLeod, had harbored a crush on the young prince.
Speaking during the formal welcome, Trump recalled that his mother, a Scottish immigrant from the Outer Hebrides, was an avid follower of the British royal family. “Any time the Queen was involved in the ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television,” Trump said. “And she would say, ‘Look, Donald, look how beautiful that is.’”
But the president added a more personal memory: “I also remember her saying very clearly, ‘Charles, look, young Charles. He’s so cute.’ My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it? I wonder what she’s thinking right now.”
Trump, who has often highlighted his mother's Scottish roots, noted that she was born in Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides, describing the region as “very serious Scotland.” He added, “Some places they say, ‘Well, it wasn’t really Scotland,’ the Hebrides, that’s real serious Scotland. That’s where they had their greatest of warriors.”
The president also referenced his parents' 63-year marriage, joking to first lady Melania Trump that they would not match that milestone. “That’s a record we won’t be able to match, darling, sorry, just not going to work out that way,” he said. “We’ll do well, but we’re not going to do that well.”
The lighthearted remarks came during the official state ceremony, which included a gift exchange and guestbook signing. Later, Trump and King Charles held a bilateral meeting, while the first lady and Queen Camilla met with students studying U.S. and U.K. history. King Charles was also scheduled to address a joint session of Congress later Tuesday.
The visit comes amid broader diplomatic discussions, as the Trump administration navigates complex international relationships. For more on the president's foreign policy approach, see our analysis of Trump's foreign policy challenges. The royal visit also highlights ongoing U.S.-UK ties, even as tensions simmer over issues like the Iran conflict, as noted in our coverage of King Charles's address to Congress.
Trump's personal anecdotes about his mother, who emigrated from Scotland at age 19, underscored the familial and cultural bonds between the two nations. The president's comments, while jovial, also served to reinforce his own connection to the United Kingdom, a key ally.
