The Special Relationship is a term that is often used to describe the political, social, diplomatic, cultural, economic, legal, environmental, religious, military and historic relations between the United Kingdom and the United States or its political leaders. The term first came into popular usage after it was used in a 1946 speech by former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Both nations have been close allies during many conflicts in the 20th and the 21st centuries, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Gulf War and the war on terror.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan. Their strong bond epitomised UK–US relations in the late 20th century.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) and U.S. President Donald Trump (right) in 2019; after the election of Trump the British government sought a "new special relationship" with the Trump administration
A British soldier and an American soldier standing far left with other representatives of the 1900, Eight-Nation Alliance, of which the United Kingdom and United States played a leading role.
A poster from shortly after World War I showing Britannia arm-in-arm with Uncle Sam, symbolizing the Anglo–American alliance
United Kingdom–United States relations
Relations between the United Kingdom and the United States have ranged from military opponents to close allies since 1776. The Thirteen Colonies seceded from the Kingdom of Great Britain and declared independence in 1776, fighting a successful revolutionary war. While Britain was fighting Napoleon, the two nations fought the stalemated War of 1812. Relations were generally positive thereafter, save for a short crisis in 1861 during the American Civil War. By the 1880s, the US economy had surpassed Britain; in the 1920s, New York City surpassed London as the world's leading financial center. The two nations fought Germany together during the two World Wars; since 1940, the two countries have been close military allies, enjoying the Special Relationship built as wartime allies and NATO partners.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets US President Joe Biden at the 2022 G20 Bali summit
UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin Roosevelt at Atlantic Conference, August 1941
The Mayflower transported the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620, as depicted in William Halsall's The Mayflower in Plymouth Sound, 1882.
John Trumbull's portrait depicting The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775