
US President Donald Trump began his speech at a meeting with King Charles by joking that it was a beautiful British day - an apparent reference to the rainy conditions, which drew laughter.
He says he and his wife will never forget their visit to Windsor Castle last year and says the royal family will have a short, wonderful stay in the US.
Trump says King's speech to Congress later "will make everyone very envious of that beautiful accent."
"He's a very elegant man," adds Trump, who then speaks of the "noble spirit of the British," linking the history of the US with the United Kingdom.
The American "cause of freedom" did not "just emerge as an intellectual invention of 1776," Trump says.
"The founding of America was the culmination of hundreds of years of thought, struggle, sweat, blood and sacrifice on both sides of the Atlantic."
Trump refers to a tree that Queen Elizabeth II planted on a previous visit to the White House, calling it a living symbol of the centuries-old bond between the two nations.
He says the new tree, which has now tripled in size and strength, reflects the relationship between the two nations.
Trump says that, like the US, it was "placed by British hands on American soil."
He says that in the centuries since the US achieved independence, "Americans have had no closer friends than the British."
Before finishing his speech, he joked that his mother, who was born in Scotland, had once had a "crush" on the King during his time as a prince.
Trump continued to discuss the histories of the US and the UK, saying that eight decades ago Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met on a ship in the North Atlantic "to chart a vision for the free world after World War II."
"This understanding of the connection and unique role of our nations in history is the essence of our special relationship, and we hope it will always remain so," he said.
"Let us move forward with an even stronger determination to continue our sacred commitment to freedom and the traditions of excellence that have been the common gift of all humanity."