London CNN  — 

President Donald Trump’s long-awaited state visit to the United Kingdom on Monday launched with an inspection of trooping guards with bearskin hats, guns blasting at the Tower of London and a spot of afternoon tea.

Later, Trump hailed his host – Queen Elizabeth II – as a “great, great woman” during a toast at Buckingham Palace, while the long-serving monarch offered a subtle endorsement of the international institutions Trump has at times criticized.

It was a stately day that came amid less dignified bickering between Trump and London’s mayor, the elaborate displays of hospitality doing little to prevent Trump from dispatching insults over Twitter as he descended into London.