Donald Trump joked that his mom used to have a “crush” on King Charles III when he was a young prince, drawing an awkward chuckle from the British monarch.
The president said that his mother had seen the King as a child on television and used to remark that he was “cute.”
“Any time the Queen was involved in the ceremony or anything, my mother would be glued to the television and she’d say, ‘look Donald, look how beautiful that is,’” he said.
“She really did love the family, but 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.”
In response the King laughed and waved his hand, in a somewhat embarrassed manner.
The bizarre remarks came as Trump reflected on the special relationship between the U.S. and the UK, leading him to recall his Scottish mother, Mary Macleod, and her affinity for Britain and the Royal Family.
King Charles and Queen Camilla were officially greeted with a state ceremony by Trump and first lady Melania Trump on the second day of the historic state visit.
Later Tuesday the King is set to give a historic address to Congress, the second time a British monarch has done so after Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
He is expected to say that while the UK and the US have not always agreed on everything, they have “always found ways to come together” amid strains to the “special relationship” from the Iran war.
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