'US has no closer friends than the British', Trump tells King Charles

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States has "no closer friends" than the British, as he welcomed King Charles III to the White House amid tensions over the Iran war.

"In the centuries since we won our independence, Americans have had no closer friends than the British," Trump said in a speech, adding that the two countries had a "special relationship, and we hope it will always remain that way."

King Charles arrived at the White House on Tuesday ​for a meeting with Donald Trump, as part of a state visit intended to underscore unity between the two longtime allies, despite deep divisions over the Iran war.

Trump also praised the British military, saying that "nobody fought better together" with the United States , despite recently deriding Britain's two aircraft carriers as "toys."

Afterward, four US jets roared over the White House in a noisy flypast as Trump, Charles, Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump watched.

On the second day of the four-day royal visit, Charles will later address the US Congress and is expected to call in his speech for "reconciliation and renewal" amid the recent strains in ties.

Republican Trump has repeatedly lambasted Britain's Starmer over his Iran war opposition, alongside the country's immigration and energy policies.

But Trump, - a long-term fan of the British royals who received his own state visit last year, appeared in a jovial mood on a rainy Washington morning as quipped: "What a beautiful British day this is."

The 79-year-old president even joked about how his late mother, who was born in Scotland, "had a crush on Charles," who is now 77.

Trump then held talks with Charles in the Oval Office. But the meeting was held behind closed doors , an unusual step for the usually garrulous US president, reflecting the sensitivity of the visit.

"It was a really good meeting. He's a fantastic person. They're incredible people and it's a real honor," Trump told reporters afterward.

In the evening the royal couple will return to the White House for a grand state dinner.