Donald Trump has provoked widespread laughter on social media with a typo suggesting he had recently met a VIP marine mammal among a roll call of world leaders.

Listing “the Queen of England (U.K.)” and the leaders of France, Poland and Ireland, Trump wrote on Thursday that he had also spoken to “the Prince of Whales”.

Trump’s epic Prince of Whales tweet. Photograph: Twitter/PA

Social media users reacted with delight to the gaffe, posting pictures imagining how such a meeting might have looked.

First photos in from Trump's meeting with the Prince of Whales pic.twitter.com/MclQIT9G2A — Hazel Shearing (@hazelshearing) June 13, 2019

White House Staff preparing to meet with the Prince of Whales. pic.twitter.com/uJfmvkHzXV — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) June 13, 2019

There were pictures of whales looking suitably regal and ready for the pomp and circumstance of a state visit.

And marine-themed makeovers for Prince Charles himself.

There were a lot of puns:

He just confused him with the Dauphin — Patrick Masterman (@pcdmasterman) June 13, 2019

“I’m with the Spelling Police and I’m issuing you a cetacean.” — Sara B (@VelvetBarracuda) June 13, 2019

This joke floundered. — PROCINT (@theAgency5412) June 13, 2019

Prince of Whales.. Did Trump do that on porpoise? (New York accent required for the full, groan inducing,) effect — Patrick Joyce (@pforpaddy) June 13, 2019

Some of the familiar Trump meme pictures came out with new captions.

DOES THE PRINCE OF WHALES RULE OVER DOLPHINS TOO? pic.twitter.com/hgbI10VrSs — The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) June 13, 2019

“Why is everyone laughing at me for knowing the Little Mermaid’s dad?” pic.twitter.com/oSk52LoS1s — hend amry (@LibyaLiberty) June 13, 2019

“DID YOU KNOW THE PRINCE OF WHALES ISN’T ACTUALLY A WHALE HE’S A HUMAN MAN I THINK HIS NAME IS WILLY I’M SAD AS I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA PET A BIG FISH WHEN I WAS IN THE ENGLAND KINGDOM” pic.twitter.com/pWmqFhTaC2 — Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) June 13, 2019

While others took the opportunity to redesign the iconic Y Ddraig Goch with a fresh new Trumpian look.

Nostalgia for the Free Willy movies surfaced.

Dumold Trump meeting the Prince of Whales pic.twitter.com/f1i2VCIPFC — HappyToast ★ (@IamHappyToast) June 13, 2019

And users with a long history of Twitter could not help but recall how appropriate the gaffe was, given that Twitter’s own original emblem of service failure used to be known as the “fail whale”.

Prince of Fail Whales pic.twitter.com/dlNTeUhISy — Holly Brockwell 🌈 (@holly) June 13, 2019

During Trump’s state visit to the UK, he met the Prince of Wales on several occasions, including a dinner at Winfield House, the US ambassador’s residence in London, where Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were the guests of honour.

The president was tweeting on Thursday in the context of a recent interview where he appeared to suggest he would not contact law enforcement if he were offered information from a foreign power that might help him in the 2020 US election.

As yet, unlike with Russia, there have been no suggestions that marine mammals played any significant role in his 2016 victory. Trump has subsequently deleted and posted a corrected version of the original tweet.

Trump’s tweets have previously gifted the world the word covfefe.