Trump hails special ties with UK as he revels in pomp of historic state visit

Mr Trump and his wife Melania were treated to the full array of British pageantry. Then the President sang the praises of his nation's close ally.

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"The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable," he said in a speech during a lavish banquet at Windsor Castle, family home to British monarchs for almost 1,000 years.

Referring to the so-called special relationship between the two nations, Mr Trump said: "Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice."

His speech will be music to the ears of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had proffered a state visit to win favour with Mr Trump, a well-known Anglophile and overt royal fan, shortly after the US President returned to office in January.

The two leaders met on Sept 18 at Mr Starmer's Chequers country residence, where they hailed the deepening of their nations' "special relationship", and said that a raft of deals worth £250 billion (S$435 billion) had made those bonds "unbreakable".

At the start of a business reception, some of the leading names in US and UK businesses were welcomed by the two leaders and praised for helping cement ties by investing in deals ranging from technology to energy.