Trump Meets King Charles on First Day of UK State Visit

BY Emel Akan

LONDON—U.S. President Donald Trump began his two-day state visit to the UK on Sept. 17 by meeting with the royal family at Windsor Castle.

The president and first lady arrived at the castle, about 20 miles west of central London, around noon local time, where they were welcomed with a ceremony rich in pageantry.

The visit comes as the UK seeks to strengthen ties with the Trump administration, revise the recently signed trade deal, address the war in Ukraine, and expand cooperation in areas such as nuclear energy and artificial intelligence.

Upon their arrival, the Trumps were welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, before being formally received by King Charles and Queen Camilla. A royal salute was fired simultaneously from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.

Before departing for the UK on Sept. 16, Trump described King Charles as “my friend,” saying their relationship goes back a long time.

“He’s such an elegant gentleman, and he represents the country so well,” Trump said of the king.

Queen Camilla took part in the welcome ceremony after recently stepping back from public events to recover from acute sinusitis.

Lavish Windsor Castle Ceremony

The welcome ceremony continued with the royal family accompanying Trump and the first lady on a carriage procession through the Windsor estate.

Trump joined the king for the carriage procession, with the queen, First Lady Melania Trump, and the Prince and Princess of Wales following in separate carriages.

The route was lined with members of the British military, accompanied by military bands, which played the U.S. and British national anthems.

The military band started playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the carriages moved clockwise around the gravel path, followed by “God Save the King.”

Upon arriving at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, the party was greeted by a guard of honor made up of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Scots Guards, a first, as traditionally only one state color is paraded at such an event, according to Buckingham Palace.

The pipes and drums gave a royal salute and played both national anthems. Trump was then invited to inspect the guard of honor.

The president and King Charles were seen chatting and joking as they inspected the troops.

Following the ceremony, the king and queen led their guests into the castle for lunch in the State Dining Room.

After lunch, they will view a special exhibition in the Green Drawing Room showcasing items from the royal collection related to the United States.

In the afternoon, they will visit St. George’s Chapel to lay a private wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, followed by a short tour of the chapel and a performance by the chapel choir.

Later, the president and the first lady will join the king and queen, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his wife, as well as U.S. and British military families, to watch a military ceremony on the East Lawn. The event will conclude with a flyover of UK and U.S. F-35 jets and the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.

In the evening, the royal family will host a state banquet at Windsor Castle in honor of the president and the first lady. Trump and King Charles are expected to deliver speeches to open the banquet.

The president and the first lady will stay at Windsor Castle overnight.

Trump’s last state visit to the UK took place in 2019 during his first term, when he was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

This time, the royal family is hosting the Trumps in Windsor Castle due to ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace.

Second Day of Visit

On Thursday, Trump is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Starmer, followed by a business reception and a press conference.

“This historic second state visit is set to highlight and renew the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” a senior U.S. official said during a call previewing the trip. “At the same time, the visit will recognize and celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.”

The president’s delegation includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Ambassador Warren Stephens, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

The visit will focus on boosting cooperation in science and technology, civilian nuclear power, defense technology, and strengthening ties between the two nations’ financial hubs, according to the official.

The nuclear energy deal that will be announced during the bilateral meeting aims to “achieve full independence from Russian nuclear fuel by 2028,” another senior U.S. official said.

On Sept. 16, both countries struck a technology pact that would bring $42 billion in investments from U.S. tech giants into the UK’s AI infrastructure, according to a statement issued by the UK government.

Under the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” the two countries would cooperate in advancing AI, quantum computing, and nuclear technology.

Before his departure, Trump noted that the UK wants to revise the trade deal that was signed on June 16 by both countries.

“They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit. We made a deal, and it’s a great deal, and I’m into helping them,” he added.

In London, small protests took place against Trump’s visit.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote an op-ed about Trump’s visit.

Writing in the Guardian, the mayor said: “We must also tell President Trump and his supporters to stop talking down and denigrating our great capital city. London is a global success story, no matter how much he wants to pretend otherwise. It’s open, dynamic and safer than every US state in terms of homicide rates.”

During a trip to the UK in July, Trump said the mayor had “done a terrible job” in London.

In June 2019, ahead of Trump’s first state visit to the UK, the president said Khan “should focus on crime in London” rather than on him.

Chris Summers contributed to this report.