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President Donald Trump gave a toast Wednesday night ahead of the state dinner with King Charles III at Windsor Castle in which he championed the “special relationship” the U.S. and U.K. share.
“His Majesty spoke eloquently about the bond which inspired Sir Winston Churchill – the bust is in the Oval Office right now – the beautiful bust of Winston Churchill, to coin the phrase ‘special relationship,’ but seen from American eyes, the word ‘special’ does not begin to do it justice,” Trump said. “We’re joined by history and fate, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny.”
US President Donald Trump (C) delivers a speech as Britain’s King Charles III watches on during a State Banquet at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Yui Mok/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump joined King Charles and other members of the royal family, along with First Lady Melania Trump, at Windsor Castle for the unprecedented second state visit Wednesday morning.
Royal events typically shy away from engaging in partisan issues as the family avoids public comment and remains neutral on hot-button issues — a practice Trump has occasionally broken.
But the president’s toast appeared to remain neutral even when he hit on an issue that has rankled some feathers in the U.S. and U.K. in recent months – free speech.
US President Donald Trump toasts alongside Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales during a State Banquet at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Yui Mok/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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“The British Empire laid the foundations of law, liberty, free speech and individual rights virtually everywhere the Union Jack has ever flown, including a place called America,” he said, in a message that could raise eyebrows as the U.K. government contests criticisms relating to free-speech issues.
U.K. online safety laws have been a matter of dispute and heated political jabs not only in Britain, but among top American leaders like Vice President JD Vance, who was not in attendance at the state visit on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Britain’s King Charles III attend a State Banquet at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on Sept. 17, 2025. (Yui Mok/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Other free speech criticisms have arisen in the U.K. relating to abortion laws, online comments and what some, like right-wing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, have called an “authoritarian” crackdown akin to laws seen in places like North Korea.