Donald Trump showered King Charles with praise on the second day of the historic US state visit.
The US President revealed his mother had a crush on the ‘cute’ King in his youth before complimenting his ‘elegance’.
Mr Trump also complimented a giggling Charles on his accent before describing his admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family.
And there were other heartwarming moments of friendship between the heads of state as the King was greeted with a state arrival ceremony on the White House lawn.
In one instance, when the president and the monarch were walking together, there appeared to be a mix-up over who should go first.
Mr Trump tried to let Charles through, but the King insisted that the US President lead the way.
A quick reshuffle saw the King confidently guide the president to where he needed to stand, and processions continued.
In another unscripted moment, Mr Trump paced ahead of Charles during a walk around the lawn. But he gave the monarch a reassuring pat on his arm as they approached a podium.
The King smoothly played off a potentially awkward moment in which he bumped into Mr Trump as he and the Queen were welcomed into the White House
There were other heartwarming moments of friendship between the heads of state as the King was greeted with a state arrival ceremony on the White House lawn
Donald Trump showered King Charles with praise on the second day of the historic US state visit
First Lady Melania Trump also appeared to assist the King into position, to the right of Mr Trump, as they stood together on the Truman Balcony.
Meanwhile, the King smoothly played off a potentially awkward moment in which he bumped into Mr Trump as he and the Queen were welcomed into the White House today.
The ceremony took place after a meeting the official delegations of both countries, which including senior political figures, the King and Queen, alongside the President and First Lady.
They then proceeded to a dais for a 21-gun salute and the national anthems performed by the US Marine Band.
His Majesty and the President, accompanied by the Commander of Troops, inspected the troops on parade in a mirror ceremony of the Guard of Honour that Mr Trump received at Windsor Castle on his own recent state visit to the UK.
Earlier Mr Trump welcomed Charles to Washington with a warm speech where he joked his mother used to have a crush on ‘cute’ King Charles when he was a young prince.
Speaking at the White House South Lawn, where he staged a ceremonial military welcome for Charles and Queen Camilla, the America leader described the ‘tremendous privilege’ he felt at hosting Their Majesties.
He also spoke of his own enduring love and admiration for the monarchy, inspired by his Scottish Mother’s adoration of Queen Elizabeth II – and her ‘crush on a young Prince Charles’.
Mr Trump noted that Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who died in 2000, ‘loved the Royal Family and the Queen’, and that she thought the then-Prince Charles was ‘cute’.
He said: ‘Any time the Queen was involved in a ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television and she would say, “look, Donald, look how beautiful that is”.
‘She really did love the family. But I also remember her saying very clearly: “Charles, look, young Charles, he is so cute”.
‘My mother had a crush on Charles. Can you believe it? Amazing how I wonder what she is thinking right now.’
Kicking off day two of the US state visit, Charles, 77, and Camilla, 78, were greeted with a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn, the highest diplomatic honour extended by the US to a visiting head of state
Queen Camilla, King Charles, President Donald Trump and Melania Trump at the White House
Mr Trump’s mother was born and raised on the Hebridean island of Lewis but emigrated to New York in 1930.
He added: ‘My wonderful mother Mary MacLeod, was born in Stornoway, Scotland, the Hebrides. And that is what they call very serious Scotland there is no question about it.
‘Some places they say “was it really Scotland?” Well the Hebrides that is real serious Scotland, that is where they had the greatest of warriors.
‘She came to America at 19, met my incredible father – we loved him so much – Fred, and they were married for 63 years.’
The president also hailed the relationship between the US and the UK as having the ‘strongest and deepest of roots’.
Despite the recent tensions between the UK and the US, Mr Trump spoke passionately about the bonds between the two countries.
He declared: ‘In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British.’
And he paid tribute to the ‘essence’ of the ‘special relationship’ in the wake of the Second World War, saying: ‘That understanding of our nation’s unique bond and role in history is the essence of our special relationship and we hope it will always remain that way.’
In a speech, Mr Trump branded the US and the UK ‘the two most exceptional nations the world has ever known’, calling on the nations to go forward ‘together… with even stronger resolve’.
Mr Trump concluded: ‘Your Majesties, thank you once again for making this important visit. We are so honoured.’
The US President also described the monarch’s accent as ‘very elegant’.
He also confirmed that he had had a ‘a really good meeting’ with the King in the Oval Office.
Speaking just after the bilateral meeting between the two heads of state, as Trump and the First Lady escorted Charles and Camilla to their car, Mr Trump said of his meeting and the royal couple: ‘It was a really good meeting. He’s a fantastic person. They’re incredible people, and it’s a real honour.’
While the president and the King held private talks in the Oval Office, Camilla and Melania joined a group of American students at the White House tennis pavilion, for a ‘cross-cultural’ engagement showcasing education in tech, where students used virtual reality headsets and AI-enabled glasses to learn about American history and ‘special relationship with the UK’.
The session showcased Mrs Trump’s ‘Fostering the Future Together’ initiative, which she launched last year, with the group, including state champions from the Presidential AI Challenge.
Offered a pair of the special glasses by one of the students, Melania tried them on, declaring the effects to be ‘incredible’.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet King Charles III today
After their high-profile, but low-key welcome to the US yesterday by the president and First Lady Melania which involved pots of tea, dainty sandwiches and small talk, the couple’s historic – and controversial – state visit got into full swing this morning.
The American leader, who sources say was insistent that the first inwards state visit of his second presidency would be by the British Royal Family and has described the monarch as a ‘great man’, was keen to show off his country’s military history and prowess.
He formally welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla with a military ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, the highest diplomatic honour extended by the US to a visiting head of state.
Speaking on the South Lawn later, Trump acknowledged the apparent irony of a state visit by the royal family to the United States, which is marking 250 years of independence from the British this year.
He also found time for a brief joke about the grey, drizzly conditions, noting: ‘What a beautiful British day this is.’
Trump said: ‘Here in the shadows of monuments to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, honoring the British King might seem an ironic beginning to our celebration of 250 years of American Independence, but in fact, no tribute to be more appropriate.
‘Before we ever proclaimed our independence, Americans carried within us the rarest of gifts, moral courage and it came from a small but mighty kingdom from across the sea.
‘The American patriots who pledged their lives to independence in 1776 were the heirs to this majestic inheritance; their veins rang with English faith in standing firm for what was right, good and true.’