00:00Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking
00:07German.
00:08Dare I say that if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French.
00:12American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent, playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe.
00:21We and I shall never forget that, not least as freedom is again under attack following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
00:31Mr. President, First Lady, my wife and I are most grateful to you for your generous hospitality as the United
00:41States celebrates this very special anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence.
00:46And may I also just start by paying tribute to your own courage and steadfastness, as well as to your
00:57security services, for their swift actions on Saturday evening in preventing further injury.
01:05My thoughts and sympathies are very much with you, the First Lady, and all those guests for whom this must
01:22have been a very upsetting incident.
01:24As the words of that famous anthem remind us, this is the land of the free and home of the
01:32brave, as your own response demonstrates.
01:36What used to be called in the last war in the United Kingdom, keep calm and carry on.
01:45I now realise, ladies and gentlemen, to my amazement, that my first visit to this remarkable country was over 50
01:54years ago.
01:55And, Mr. President, the golden threads of history and heritage between our lands are also embodied, as you mentioned earlier
02:03today,
02:03in your own family and your own family story, whose roots trace back to the beautiful landscapes of Britain's outer
02:12Hebrides and continue, as we know, in the great golf courses of the highlands.
02:20I can only imagine the immense pride with which your own dear mother, indeed, both your parents, must be looking
02:29down on the great office to which you have been elected for a historic second term.
02:37And, if I may say so, it is a particular pleasure to be back in this wonderful building, the heart
02:44of your democracy.
02:45On this occasion, I cannot help noticing the readjustments to the East Wing, Mr. President, following your visit to Windsor
02:57Castle last year.
02:58And I'm sorry to say that we British, of course, made our own small attempt at real estate redevelopment of
03:06the White House in 1814.
03:13Anyway, I am so glad we have an opportunity, an important opportunity, at this critical time, to renew those bonds
03:22of history and friendship between our nations and our peoples.
03:27Two and a half centuries ago, the United States of America was founded through an audacious and visionary act of
03:34self-determination.
03:36From the beginning, the American character has been defined by courage, tenacity, and the spirit of adventure.
03:45As the direct descendant of King George III, I know this is a nation that never gives up.
03:54And my family's history remains reflected in your maps, which read rather like our Christmas card list across the ages.
04:04North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the cities of Charleston, a particular favourite of mine, obviously.
04:18Georgetown, and for that matter, Georgia, Annapolis, as you mentioned, and further favourites, Prince William County and Williamsburg.
04:30This said, our French friends can feel equally at home with a glance at a map.
04:37Indeed, you recently commented, Mr. President, that if it were not for the United States, European countries would be speaking
04:44German.
04:46Dare I say that if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking French.
05:01Of course, we both love our French cousins greatly, and we three estates are not only bound by our shared
05:09values,
05:10but by a profound belief that together we are more than the sum of our perks.
05:16Out of the fires of a bitter and bloody revolutionary war, the triumph of the father of this country, George
05:22Washington,
05:23and his fellow founders, was to forge a democracy founded upon the rights to liberty and the rule of law.
05:31The story of Britain and America is one of reconciliation,
05:37from adversaries to the closest allies, not always perhaps following the straightest path.
05:44As you said yourself, Mr. President, during your own state visit at Windsor Castle last year,
05:49ours is an unbreakable bond of history and heritage, culture and commerce, industry and invention,
05:56and we are determined to face the future together.
06:01Tonight, we are here to renew an indispensable alliance,
06:05which has long been a cornerstone of prosperity and security for both British and American citizens.
06:14Our people have fought and fallen together in defence of the values we cherish.
06:20Across the ocean and from coast to coast, we have traded, innovated and created together.
06:27However, we have stood together through the best and worst of times.
06:33However, the challenges we now face, from those who wish us harm across the world,
06:38to balancing the risks and opportunities of powerful new technologies,
06:43to the threats to the very international rules that have allowed us to trade
06:47and have kept power in balance for 80 years,
06:51those challenges encourage us to reaffirm tonight the basis on which our partnership has been built.
06:58And yes, we have had our moments of difficulty, even in more recent history.
07:04When my mother visited in 1957, not the least of her tasks was to help put the special back
07:11into our relationship after a crisis in the Middle East.
07:16Nearly 70 years on, it is hard to imagine anything like that happening today.
07:20But it is not hard to see how important the relationship remains in matters both seen and unseen.
07:31My mother's first Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, understood this so well.
07:37But then he himself was half American, a tradition of shared transatlantic heritage,
07:43which I am pleased to say is alive and well in the White House today.
07:47Indeed, such was the closeness that Sir Winston, while staying here in the White House,
07:53in those rooms you showed us upstairs, emerged naked from the bathtub
07:58to discover the door opening as President Roosevelt came in for a chat.
08:05With rapier wit, the President cast aside any embarrassment
08:10by declaring that the Prime Minister has nothing to conceal from the President of the United States.
08:19This warmth came after testing times between our leaders in the early 1940s.
08:25The kinship and friendship of many centuries provided great reassurance to my late grandfather,
08:33King George VI, as he did to my late mother.
08:37It means every bit as much to me.
08:41Of course, my late mother met no fewer than 13 serving Presidents.
08:46Thankfully, all of them fully clothed.
08:50The first President I had the honour of meeting at the age of 10 in 1959,
08:55when he came to Balmoral, was President Eisenhower,
08:58who had served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces during World War II
09:03at a most critical time in the darkest days of the 20th century.
09:10American leadership helped rebuild a shattered continent,
09:14playing a decisive role as a defender of freedom in Europe.
09:18We and I shall never forget that,
09:23not least as freedom is again under attack following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
09:28The Jacob will live and start with the
09:28Leading of the United States,
09:29which Mike seems to have commitment to the part of the unforgettable
09:29and, a powerful woman that he is basically
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