Web Desk: President Trump is the first second-term U.S. leader to be invited for a second official state visit to the U.K. The trip will be marked by the trademark pomp and circumstance offered by the royal family, with a formal banquet hosted by King Charles III and Queen.
President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, were greeted by the British royal family on Wednesday at Windsor Castle outside London, beginning a two-day state visit swaddled in the kind of pomp and grandeur that so thrills this president.
The state visit is part of an effort by the British government to engage with a president who has returned to office less interested than ever in maintaining the post-World War II order, and possibly divert him on key issues affecting the two nations. The fact that Mr. Trump has been invited to Britain for a second state visit — after his first in 2019 — is itself a rare diplomatic gesture that no other American president has enjoyed.
Mr. Trump went on an early-morning social media tear on Wednesday, alleging that he and his allies were victims of a Weaponized justice system through federal investigations, but he has so far been quiet about British politics, unlike his first state visit in 2019. The president has been looking forward to the lavish visit, which seems a world away from Washington after he and his extended circle were rocked by the assassination of Charlie Kirk last week.
The Trumps traveled by helicopter from London to Windsor, where they were received by King Charles III. Mr. Trump and the King rode in a horse-drawn carriage through the Windsor estate as Queen Camilla and Mrs. Trump followed in a separate carriage. The state dinner at the 900-year-old castle will take place on Wednesday night. A number of Trump officials, friends and allies have traveled to England to attend.
Before the banquet begins, Mr. and Mrs. Trump are expected to visit St. George’s Chapel to lay a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. The Trumps plan to spend the night at Windsor Castle before the president meets with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.“My relationship is very good with the U.K., and Charles, as you know, who’s now king, is my friend,” Mr. Trump said from the south lawn of the White House on Tuesday morning before departing for Britain. “And it’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honored twice, so it’s a great honor.”
Evidently, he was charmed by the choice of venue. “They say Windsor Castle is the ultimate, right?” he asked. (Buckingham Palace, where his first state visit took place, is undergoing renovations.)
After the royal extravaganza on Wednesday, the president is scheduled to travel to Chequers, the prime minister’s country estate, on Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The two leaders are expected to sign a handful of deals, and to hold a joint news conference.
Demonstrators gathered outside the central London headquarters of the BBC, Britain’s public broadcaster, on Wednesday to protest Mr. Trump’s visit. Some carried banners that read “No to Trump” and “Stop arming Israel.”
Over the weekend, the anti-immigrant agitator Tommy Robinson led a protest of more than 100,000 people through London — one of the largest far-right demonstrations in Britain’s history. Mr. Trump’s former adviser, Elon Musk, who has repeatedly amplified Mr. Robinson on social media, delivered a virtual address to the demonstrators in which he called for a change in government and used alarmist rhetoric about immigration, telling Britons: “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you.” Mr. Starmer condemned the remarks.
Epstein ties: Though Mr. Trump might have hoped to leave behind the political tensions at home, the drama over the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will simmer in the background on his trip. British activists protested Mr. Trump’s arrival on Tuesday by projecting a picture of the president with Mr. Epstein onto the walls of Windsor Castle and unrolling a massive banner of the picture on the castle’s lawn. Last week, Mr. Starmer fired his ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his ties to Mr. Epstein. Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer were expected to face questions about the ongoing Epstein saga.
