Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump met the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle on Wednesday as his second state visit to the U.K. began. The meeting started in a formal way, but Trump’s greeting to Kate Middleton drew instant notice.
As he shook her hand, the president told the Princess of Wales, “You’re beautiful, so beautiful,” according to People magazine.
Later that evening, during the state dinner with royals and guests, Trump said it again. This time he added, “so radiant, so healthy and so beautiful,” according to a White House pool report.
“So radiant and so healthy and so beautiful.” President Donald Trump compliments Princess Kate during his state dinner speech at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/KRrrYfj4wj
— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) September 18, 2025
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Kate’s health has been in the public eye since her cancer diagnosis, and people picked up on how Trump focused on her looks so openly and more than once. For Trump this was nothing new. He often makes remarks about how people look, especially members of the British royal family.
Last year, after a private chat in Paris with Prince William, Trump gave his review to the New York Post: “He’s a good-looking guy. He looked really, very handsome last night… Some people look better in person? He looked great. He looked really nice, and I told him that.”
Trump has also spoken kindly about King Charles, and he once called Queen Elizabeth “a grand and beautiful lady.” His first state visit to Britain came years ago at the Queen’s invitation. But even as he shows admiration for the royals, his words often spark debate.
A well-known example came in 1997, just months after Princess Diana’s death. Trump went on Howard Stern’s show and said he “could have” dated her. The remark has followed him ever since and is often raised whenever he talks about the royal family.
In 2023, Trump released a book with letters he said were sent by world leaders and famous figures. Promoting it, he told Breitbart News: “I knew them all — and every one of them kissed my ass, and now I only have half of them kissing my ass.” The book included references to royals.
That claim was quickly dismissed by Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer. He wrote on Twitter that the only time Diana ever mentioned Trump to him was when Trump used her name to promote real estate in New York. According to Spencer, she thought Trump was “worse than an anal fissure.”
Featured image via X screengrab
