U.S. President Donald Trump said his Scottish-born mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, once had a crush on a young King Charles III, whom she reportedly described as “cute.” 

Mr Trump also noted his mother’s admiration for the royal family during the ceremonial welcome for Mr Charles and Queen Camilla on the second day of their visit to the United States.

“I remember her saying very clearly, ‘Charles, look, young Charles, he is so cute,’” Trump said. “My mother had a crush on Charles—can you believe it?”

“I wonder what she is thinking right now,” he added, pointing to the sky.

The president described his mother as an exceptional woman born in Stornoway, Scotland, in the Hebrides, which he called “very serious Scotland.”

“Some places they say, ‘Was it really Scotland?’ Well, the Hebrides—that is real serious Scotland, where they had the greatest warriors,” he said.

Mr Trump said his mother, born on May 10, 1912, moved to the United States at 19, where she met his father, Fred Trump. He added that the couple were married for 63 years before she died on August 7, 2000. 

He added that she closely followed royal ceremonies on television, particularly those involving the late Queen Elizabeth II, often admiring her.

“I told the king that she loved the royal family and she loved the queen,” Mr Trump said. “Any time the Queen was involved in a ceremony, my mother would be glued to the television and say, ‘Look, Donald, look how beautiful that is.’ She really did love the family.”

The king laughed and waved in his response to Mr Trump’s remarks.

Meanwhile, King Charles is expected to address Congress later Tuesday.