During the state banquet held on September 17, 2025, in honor of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, King Charles III delighted the guests with a lighthearted moment. As he praised the longstanding and strong relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, the monarch shared a humorous anecdote from his past that caught everyone’s attention and even elicited a laugh from President Trump.
King Charles, who has long admired the United States, reflected on his numerous visits to the country, including his first trip in 1970. He spoke fondly of the special relationship between the two nations and said, “For my part, I have always admired the ingenuity of the American people, and the principles of freedom which your great democracy has represented since its inception.” He continued, “In fact, had the media succeeded in the 1970s in their own attempt at deepening the special relationship, I myself might have been married off within the Nixon family!”
This remark, referencing a lighter moment from his past, prompted a chuckle from President Trump, who turned to his seatmate, Kate Middleton, to share the humor. The joke referred to a time when President Richard Nixon had invited the young Prince Charles and his sister, Princess Anne, to visit the United States. The visit, which took place in Nixon’s first year in office, was intended to strengthen U.S.-U.K. relations and also aimed at matching the prince with Nixon’s eldest daughter, Tricia Nixon. At the time, Tricia was two years older than Charles, and Nixon thought the two might make a good match.
In a memo to his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, Nixon praised Prince Charles as “the real gem” of the royal family and highlighted the visit’s potential to significantly improve U.S.-British ties. During the visit, Charles, then 21, expressed his gratitude in a note to the Nixon family, acknowledging the kindness they had received during their time in the White House. He referred to the warmth of the relationship between the U.K. and the U.S., stating, “The kindness shown to us at the White House was almost overwhelming.”
While Prince Charles and Tricia Nixon shared a few public moments during the 1970 visit, such as attending a baseball game and a formal state dinner, the romantic match envisioned by Nixon never materialized. Over the years, Charles humorously recalled Nixon’s attempt to set him up with Tricia, even sharing the story with President George W. Bush during a visit to the White House in the early 2000s. Charles joked about how the Bush family had better not try to matchmake their daughters with his sons, as Nixon had done with him.
As for Tricia, less than a year after her high-profile outing with Prince Charles, she married her longtime partner, Harvard Law student Edward F. Cox, in a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden. The couple remains married and has one son.
Ironically, Tricia Nixon’s connection to the royal family took on another humorous twist involving George W. Bush, who, in an interview about his father’s memoir, revealed that he had once gone on a blind date with Tricia Nixon at his father’s request. However, the date did not go as planned. Bush, recalling the incident, admitted that he had driven to the White House in a purple Gremlin and had been somewhat intoxicated. The date, according to Bush, ended with Tricia asking to be taken home shortly after he had lit a cigarette.
King Charles’s mention of this historic moment from his past served not only as a funny anecdote but also as a reminder of the long history of personal and political ties between the royal family and the U.S. Over the years, Charles has cultivated a deep admiration for the American people, and his lighthearted storytelling at the state banquet offered a glimpse into the evolving relationship between the two nations. It also highlighted the personal moments, humor, and complexities that shape royal diplomacy.
While the state banquet itself was a formal affair, the stories and interactions shared during the evening painted a more personal picture of international relations, reminding everyone that behind the royal protocol and pageantry, there are stories of friendship, humor, and shared history.
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