His Majesty King Charles III

Mr President, Mrs Trump, it is with great pleasure that my wife and I welcome you to Windsor Castle on this, your second state visit to the United Kingdom. This unique and important occasion reflects the enduring bond between our two great nations. Anchored by the deep friendship between our people, this relationship, which, with good reason, we and our predecessors have long called ‘special’, has made us safer and stronger through the generations. Our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear. We have innovated, traded and created together, fuelling our economies and cultures through myriad forms of exchange. We have celebrated together, mourned together and stood together in the best and worst of times.

I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow. Throughout her life, Her Majesty the Queen – my beloved mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example. Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well-lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.

The death of my beloved mother Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.  We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.  During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.