TRANSCRIPT
(Sound of horse and carriage)
A historic second UK state visit for US President Donald Trump - grandeur, record security and royal pageantry on full display.
The Trumps joined King Charles, his wife Queen Camilla and other royals and dignitaries for a carriage procession, with the route lined by 1,300 British service personnel.
At a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle with his wife Melania by his side, Mr Trump talked up the bond between both countries in a gushing tribute to King Charles and other members of the royal family.
"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. We had a very sick country one year ago, and today, I believe we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. In fact, nobody's even questioning it. But we owe so much of that to you and the footing that you gave us when we started."
Later, the Trumps viewed historical items from the Royal Collection relating to the US, and then visited St George's Chapel, the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth, who hosted Trump for his first state visit in 2019.
She died in September 2022.
In his speech King Charles touched on security in Europe, environmental concerns, and the continuation of what he called the "special relationship" between the two countries.
"Our countries have the closest defence, security and intelligence relationship ever known. In two world wars, we fought together to defeat the forces of tyranny. Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine to deter aggression and secure peace."
The visit framed by record security, protests and awkward questions over convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is also being used by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to push trade talks and secure major US tech investments.
Mr Starmer is hoping to convert Mr Trump's affection for Britain — his mother came from Scotland — and admiration for the royals into concrete actions.
Companies - including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI - have already pledged A$63 billion (US$42 billion) in British investments over the next few years, in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy.
Planned talks between the two leaders will focus on the UK-US technology deal.
The UK government's new science secretary, Liz Kendall, says the investment is welcome.
"This deal does what it says on the tin. We are gaining from this, not giving anything up. We are going to get the investment we need to create the infrastructure and from there absolutely turbo charge our economy."
The British government hopes the deal, and billions in investment from U-S tech companies, will help show that the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong, despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO
While Mr Starmer is banking on the royals to help cajole the president, pitfalls remain.
Polls show Mr Trump is widely unpopular in the UK and Mr Starmer, faced with plummeting poll ratings of his own and economic woes, will need to show the visit can reap benefits.
While there were many Trump supporters in crowds at Windsor in London, several thousand people marched to protest against the state visit.
Londoner Kirstie Robert Shaw says the UK government needs to make the best of the relationship with the US for the good of the country.
"Do we have to do it probably yes? I think it’s soft diplomacy. We're looking to sort of make the best of a bad situation, to be quite frank. And I think for someone who's behaved in the way he (Trump) has – who has no respect for the rule of law, to sort of have an unprecedented state visit - and to be rewarded in that way - is pretty outrageous."
Stonemason Gary Fishlock says he likes Donald Trump and does not understand why people were protesting against him.
"I quite like Trump. I think he does a good job for what he does. He's trying to make America great again and I think we need someone like that over in England. I think politicians are useless at the moment. I'm happy he's here, yeah. I've got no problems with him at all. I'm quite happy with him. I can't see what the protests are about, really."
Questions remain about Mr Trump's relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week, Mr Starmer sacked British ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, over his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
This could lead to questions for both leaders during Mr Trump's visit.
