‘Watch the sword!’: King Charles cautions Trump as they inspect guard of honour at Windsor Castle
WINDSOR, ENGLAND: King Charles wasn’t about to let President Donald Trump hurt himself.
On Wednesday, September 17, during the start of the US state visit to the UK, the King, 76, was caught on video warning the president, 79, as they inspected a Guard of Honour on the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
The two strolled past rows of soldiers in full regalia before stopping at the end with the guard leading them. “Watch the sword!” the King told Trump as the guard dramatically swung his blade.
The unscripted moment highlighted the rapport between the British monarch and the US leader, who had made it clear just days earlier that the royals were not strangers to him.
Trump praises King Charles as ‘elegant gentleman’
“They’re friends of mine for a long time, since before he was King,” Trump told reporters at the White House on September 15, before jetting off with first lady Melania Trump. “And it’s an honor to have him as King.”
The president wasn’t done gushing. “I think he represents the country so well. He’s such an elegant gentleman,” added Trump. Even Melania has admired the royals. In her memoir Melania, published in October 2024, the first lady reportedly wrote about a friendship with the royal family and exchanging letters with Charles himself.
The Trumps presented the King with a replica of a President Eisenhower sword as part of the traditional diplomatic gift exchange. Buckingham Palace said the blade represented “profound respect” and a reminder of the partnership “critical to winning World War II,” while also highlighting the modern-day “special relationship” between the US and UK.
Of course, the Windsors have a history with swords. Back in 2020, Princess Beatrice made waves after Ed Sheeran’s manager claimed on the 'Straight Up' podcast that she accidentally slashed the pop star’s face with one during a Royal Lodge party years earlier.
Trump and King Charles celebrate US-UK unity at Windsor Castle state banquet
At the glittering state banquet inside Windsor Castle, a 160-guest feast steeped in pageantry, King Charles praised Trump’s “personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts.”
He also urged the US to throw its weight behind Ukraine against “tyranny.” Trump, in turn, gushed about Anglo-American ties and declared that the word “special does not begin to do it justice.”
The King echoed the theme. “Our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear,” he told the dinner guests.
Trump honors Queen Elizabeth at Windsor
The royal show didn’t stop at swords and speeches. When the Trumps arrived at Windsor, they made a grand entrance, stepping out of ornate carriages into the castle’s picture-perfect quadrangle before inspecting troops lined up on the manicured lawns.
It was a full-court royal press. The Prince and Princess of Wales hosted a “warm and friendly” private meeting with the American couple.
Trump, meanwhile, was awestruck by the setting. Touring St George’s Chapel, he gushed, “What a place, what a place.” Confronted with the Royal Collection’s historic US independence documents, he marveled that they were “the real deal.”
The president also paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, whom he has long admired. He laid a wreath and paid his respects at her tomb in Windsor.
The state visit isn’t over yet. On September 18, Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales will host events with Melania Trump before the president heads to Chequers for bilateral talks and a news conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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