Lipreader reveals Charles’ cutting joke to Melania as Trump praises Kate at Windsor Castle

King Charles III broke the ice at Windsor Castle with a joke about Melania Trump’s striking purple hat, according to a lip-reading expert who has claimed to uncover the private words exchanged during Donald Trump’s second state visit to Britain.

The Trumps touched down at Windsor on Wednesday afternoon and were met by the Prince and Princess of Wales before being formally introduced to King Charles and Queen Camilla. The ceremonial welcome was watched closely, but it was the quiet moments captured by cameras that have since drawn the most attention.

Nicola Hickling, a forensic lip reader, has analysed the footage and shared her interpretation of the exchanges with Metro. Her account paints a picture of candid conversations, unexpected compliments, and a monarch unafraid to crack a joke in the face of pomp and tradition.

Trump, stepping off Marine One, immediately greeted Prince William with: “Hello my friend, how are ya?” The former president quickly followed up with a question about the royal children. When William replied that they were “well and at school”, Trump reacted with the unusual phrase: “Well, blow me.” William then explained that the new term had begun a couple of weeks ago.

The exchange soon shifted into warmer tones, with William teasing that Trump had missed their “little chats”. Trump responded earnestly: “We have lots to catch up with, and there’s been lots of changes.”

Once the introductions moved inside Windsor’s grounds, Melania Trump met Queen Camilla before being on the receiving end of King Charles’ light-hearted comment. Glancing at her wide purple hat, the monarch reportedly quipped: “I do hope the wind doesn’t blow away your hat.” Melania burst into laughter, shaking Camilla’s hand while still smiling at the remark.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump turned his attention to the Princess of Wales, calling her “beautiful” before later praising Prince William with the remark: “You look fantastic.”

The lip-reading account also captured a conversation between Kate and Melania. The two women bonded over their Mackintosh coats, with Kate pointing out that she wore hers frequently. Melania replied warmly: “I know, it’s exceptional and such a comfort. Sometimes I wear it to the house. Sometimes when I come I don’t want to go back.”

As the women spoke about fashion, Trump continued an apparently more cryptic conversation with King Charles. Hickling claims Trump said: “I am trying to prove it, but it’s still a little rough, we go back a long way. The difficulty of it is that they are opening it back up with this in an era. I’ll say you need to listen, it was in a time where I was playing. If you want to learn, you gotta listen.”

The two men then boarded a carriage together for a ride across the Windsor estate, accompanied by Queen Camilla and Melania in a following carriage. The inspection of the largest Guard of Honour ever assembled for such an occasion followed, before the group retired to the royal residence for a private lunch.

Later in the evening, King Charles and Donald Trump were scheduled to deliver speeches at a state banquet, marking the official continuation of Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK.

What might have been remembered as a rigid ceremonial affair has instead been overshadowed by moments of informal banter — a candid glimpse, if Hickling’s readings are accurate, into the personal exchanges between heads of state and royals at the centre of global attention