Trump arrives in Windsor to meet Royals on state visit

State Visit to the UK

On the first full day of his state visit, US President Donald Trump arrived at Windsor Castle to meet with senior members of the Royal Family. He was welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, alongside the First Lady, before being officially welcomed by King Charles and Queen Camilla. The King and Queen arrived in Windsor for a carriage parade, which was to be followed by a flypast and a state banquet later that day. On Tuesday, Trump had touched down in London for his second visit, which would feature a busy mixture of royal pageantry, trade talks, and international politics.

As they arrived outside Windsor Castle, the King and President Trump were deeply engaged in conversation, which continued as they stepped into a royal carriage for the parade toward the castle. Queen Camilla and Melania Trump travelled together in a separate coach, followed by Prince William and Princess Catherine. Following in a fourth coach were some of Trump's most influential figures, including his Secretary of State Marco Rubio and overseas envoy Steve Witkoff. The Trumps, the King, and the Queen were then met by a guard of honour as they stood on a raised platform before the two men carried out a military inspection. This was the biggest guard of honour ever organised for a state visit to the United Kingdom, with 1,300 service men and women from the Army, Royal Navy, and RAF all participating. The UK government will continue to press its adherence to NATO and support Ukraine on a much larger scale than the usual military line-up for state visitors.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will watch a flypast by F-35 jets and the Red Arrows over Windsor later this week to show the closeness of military ties between the US and the UK. On Wednesday, the centrepiece of the visit will be a spectacular banquet in St George's Hall, with speeches by King Charles and Trump and a menu that is likely to be a culinary representation of the 'special relationship' with UK and American cuisine. Such spectacles are intended to please a president who has expressed his admiration for the monarch, and there will be attempts to influence the US president on trade and international cooperation.

On Tuesday, Trump had sent positive signals ahead of his flight on Air Force One, calling the trip an honour and referring to his "very positive" relationship with the UK. As the trip began, a multi-billion-dollar technology investment agreement was announced, but Trump said the trip's main aim was to see "my friend" King Charles.

"He represents the country so well, as an elegant gentleman," he said.

On Tuesday evening, Trump and First Lady Melania were officially welcomed on the runway at Stansted Airport by a lineup that included Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. On Tuesday, an actor and singer also spoke briefly with Trump to welcome him to the United States. The president spent the night in Winfield House, where he recalled fondly of the King:

"He's been a friend of mine for a long time, and everybody reveres him and loves him. I have a few things here that warm my heart," Trump said of the United Kingdom. "I want to tell you. It's a very special place."

State visits are a form of soft power diplomacy, where the royal charm offensive is used to foster links with key international partners—with none more significant than the United States. A big technology deal was announced in the United Kingdom as the tour began, with US tech companies investing £31 billion in the UK, including £22 billion from Microsoft. Sir Keir Starmer hopes this tech agreement will see collaboration in artificial intelligence, quantum computation, and nuclear power. This will lead to "creating highly skilled jobs and putting more money into people's pockets." He had said earlier that the UK "want to see if they can refine the trade agreement a little bit. I'm into supporting them." The owner of Google, Alphabet, reported a £5 billion ($6.8 billion) investment into the UK's artificial intelligence research ahead of the trip. The US and the United Kingdom will sign an agreement on increasing nuclear development, and nuclear power production is expected to begin. However, plans to eliminate the current 25% tariff on UK steel exports to the United States appear to have been postponed, although this is lower than the 50% tariff faced by many other countries.

On Tuesday, anti-Trump demonstrators in Windsor began to assemble, with massive photos of Donald Trump and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein projected onto Windsor Castle's walls. Four men were arrested after an "unauthorised projection," according to Thames Valley Police, and they remained in detention. During the presidential tour, which is expected to end on Thursday afternoon, a robust security force will be in place. However, unlike other recent state visits, there will not be any moments visible to the public, with all the activities taking place behind the Windsor estate's walls or the PM's country estate, Chequers. The high street in Windsor has US flags flying, but they will not be seen by the visiting president.

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