-Your Majesty, Melania and I are profoundly honored
to be your guests for this historic state visit.
Thank you for your warm welcome,
for this beautiful weather, your gracious hospitality,
and Your Majesty's nearly seven decades of treasured friendship
with the United States of America.
This week, we commemorate a mighty endeavor
of righteous nations
and one of the greatest undertakings in all of history.
Seventy-five years ago, more than 150,000 Allied
troops were preparing on this island
to parachute into France, storm the beaches of Normandy,
and win back our civilization.
As Her Majesty remembers,
the British people had hoped and prayed
and fought for this day for nearly five years.
When Britain stood alone during the Blitz of 1940
and 1941,
the Nazi war machine dropped thousands of bombs
on this country and right on this magnificent city.
Buckingham Palace, alone,
was bombed on 16 separate occasions.
In that dark hour, the people of this nation
showed the world what it means to be British.
They cleared wreckage from the streets,
displayed the Union Jack from their shattered homes,
and kept fighting on to victory.
They only wanted victory.
The courage of the United Kingdom's sons and daughters
ensured that your destiny would always remain in your own hands.
Through it all, the royal family was the resolute face
of the Commonwealth's unwavering solidarity.
In April 1945, newspapers featured a picture of the queen
mother visiting the woman's branch of the Army,
watching a young woman repair a military truck engine.
That young mechanic was the future queen,
a great, great woman.
Her Majesty inspired her compatriots
in that fight to support the troops,
defend her homeland, and defeat the enemy at all cost.
We also pay tribute to Prince Philip's distinguished
and valiant service in the Royal Navy
during the Second World War.
On D-Day, the queen's beloved father, King George VI,
delivered a stirring national address.
That day, he said,
"After nearly five years of toil and suffering,
we must renew that crusading impulse
on which we entered the war and met its darkest hour.
Our fight is against evil
and for a world in which goodness and honor
may be the foundation of the life of men
in every land".
This evening, we thank God for the brave sons
of the United Kingdom and the United States
who defeated the Nazis and the Nazi regime,
and liberated millions from tyranny.
The bond between our nations was forever sealed
in that great crusade.
As we honor our shared victory and heritage,
we affirm the common values
that will unite us long into the future:
freedom, sovereignty, self-determination,
the rule of law,
and reverence for the rights given to us by Almighty God.
From the Second World War to today,
her majesty has stood as a constant symbol
of these priceless traditions.
She has embodied the spirit of dignity, duty, and patriotism
that beats proudly in every British heart.
On behalf of all Americans, I offer a toast
to the eternal friendship of our people,
the vitality of our nations, and to the long, cherished,
and truly remarkable reign of her majesty the queen.
Thank you. Thank you.