Former U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in London on Tuesday evening for a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom, at the invitation of King Charles III. King Charles arranged a royal welcome for them at Windsor Castle. Upon landing at Stansted Airport, U.S. Ambassador to the UK, Warren Stephens, and the King’s Lord-in-Waiting, Viscount Henry Hood, greeted Donald and Melania Trump.
The visit, scheduled from September 17th to 19th, marks Trump’s second state visit to Britain, making him the first U.S. President to achieve this. Trump praised King Charles upon his arrival in the UK, stating that the King had long been a friend, and it was an honor to witness his representation of the country. He noted that it was the first time an American President had been honored with two state visits to Britain.
The First Couple will be formally welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales – William and Kate – at Windsor’s grounds on Wednesday morning, followed by a meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla. Buckingham Palace announced that the King and Queen would formally welcome the President and First Lady, with royal salutes from the Eastern Lawn of Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.
Subsequently, Trump, the King and Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales will participate in a traditional carriage procession from Windsor Estate towards the castle. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will provide a sovereign escort for the procession, with members of the British Armed Forces and three military bands from the Royal Marines, the Army, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) along the route.
The Guard of Honor will include the Foot Guards Massed Band, and pipes and drums will offer a royal salute. The band will play the national anthems of the United States and the United Kingdom. The President and Melania will join the King and Queen on the royal platform, after which the President will be invited to inspect the Guard of Honor with the King.
The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry, and the Foot Guards will then enter Windsor Castle after the march past of the Guard of Honor. Following a grand luncheon in the State Dining Room, a special exhibition of royal collection items related to the United States will be observed in the Green Drawing Room of the 11th-century castle.
Trump, who last made a state visit in May 2019 with the late Queen Elizabeth II, will then proceed to St. George’s Chapel to lay a wreath at the former monarch’s tomb. Afterward, he and his wife, Melania, will tour the historic chapel and attend a concert.
Weather permitting, a joint flypast by British and U.S. F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows is expected after a Beating Retreat ceremony on the Eastern Lawn of Windsor Castle. The state banquet scheduled for the evening will be a highlight of the visit, with Trump and the British monarch expected to deliver traditional speeches to reflect the closeness of bilateral relations.
On Thursday morning, Trump will bid a formal farewell to the King and Queen at Windsor Castle. The former President will then depart for Chequers, where he will engage in bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Buckinghamshire residence, where another Guard of Honor will welcome him.
Their discussions are expected to further solidify a previously agreed trade deal between both nations. A review of the records of Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill will follow. A business reception hosted by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, and a joint press conference will conclude the official program of the two-day visit.
Billions of dollars in investment are expected from U.S. entities this week. Google has already confirmed a £5 billion investment in the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector, including a data center in Hertfordshire. Before this, the British government announced over £1.25 billion in U.S. investments in the UK’s financial services sector.
British Minister for Trade and Commerce, Peter Kyle, said that ahead of the state visit, these investments demonstrate the strength of the UK’s enduring ‘Golden Corridor’ with one of its closest trading partners. Protests are also planned in Windsor and London during Trump’s visit, where security forces are running one of their largest security operations.