With royal pomp and grandeur, U.S. President Donald Trump’s second state visit to the United Kingdom began on Wednesday. At Windsor Castle, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate personally welcomed the U.S. President and First Lady.
The couple was taken around the castle grounds in a royal carriage, followed by a military parade and an air display of F-35 fighter jets from both countries — a symbolic show of joint defense cooperation. Trump also reviewed the guard of honor with King Charles and visited St. George’s Chapel, where he laid a wreath at the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth. Later in the evening, he will attend a royal banquet.
“Britain is a special place. I love Britain,” Trump said during the ceremony.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed hope that the visit would further strengthen the “special relationship” between the two nations. The two leaders are scheduled to discuss trade, tariff reductions, Ukraine, and Israel on Thursday. Major tech companies — Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, and OpenAI — have already pledged £31 billion in investments in artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and energy sectors.
Despite the royal fanfare, Trump remains unpopular in Britain, and Starmer’s own approval ratings are falling — raising doubts about how much political benefit the UK government can gain from the visit.
Tight security measures were in place in Windsor, yet the “Stop the Trump Coalition” has announced mass protests in London. Four protesters have already been arrested for allegedly projecting images of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein onto a castle tower.
Historian Anthony Seldon remarked that if this visit is successful, it could be the most significant diplomatic event of King Charles’s reign.
