Trump gets royal treatment on UK state visit

Britain treated Donald Trump to an elaborate ceremonial invited featuring a weapon salute and mounted horses arsenic the US president’s unprecedented 2nd authorities sojourn began nether choky information connected Wednesday.

Heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his woman Catherine warmly greeted Trump and First Lady Melania Trump aft the Marine One chopper touched down astatine Windsor Castle soon astatine 12:15 p.m. (1115 GMT).

Inside a ringing of alloy and retired of show from noisy protesters, William and Catherine walked Trump and his woman a abbreviated region to conscionable King Charles III and Queen Camilla arsenic the UK’s large charm violative got underway.

As the president shook hands with the king, a 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six World War One-era guns connected the castle’s eastbound lawn, arsenic a akin show occurred astatine the Tower of London, successful the centre of the capital.

Some 120 horses, and 1,300 members of the British subject took portion successful the ceremony, which UK officials accidental marked the largest subject ceremonial invited for a authorities sojourn to Britain successful surviving memory.

The Trumps and the royals past embarked connected a carriage procession done the Windsor property towards the astir 1,000-year-old castle.

– ‘Warm my heart’ –

Britain is going the other mile to dazzle and flatter the unpredictable Trump with an bonzer amusement of pomp and pageantry arsenic it tries to support him onside during a big of planetary crises.

The 79-year-old Republican is, however, being kept acold distant from Britons among whom polls bespeak Trump remains unpopular, with the full sojourn happening down closed doors.

“It’s rather bittersweet that the nationalist cannot spot the president,” 40-year-old Charlene Bryan, who had travelled from London hoping to spot Trump, told AFP.

Britain’s King Charles III and US President Donald Trump question successful The Irish State Coach during a horse-drawn procession towards Windsor Castle, successful Windsor, connected September 17, 2025, during a 2nd State Visit. US President Donald Trump arrived successful Britain for an unprecedented 2nd State Visit, with the UK authorities rolling retired a royal reddish carpet invited to triumph implicit the mercurial leader. (Photo by Toby Melville / POOL / AFP)

Knowing that Trump is obsessed with Britain’s royals and loves showy displays of pomp, the subject invited was adjacent bigger than erstwhile Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump connected his erstwhile authorities sojourn successful 2019.

He is the archetypal US president to person 2 authorities visits. He volition besides get the archetypal associated flypast by US and UK combatant jets astatine an lawsuit of its kind. It volition diagnostic US and British F-35 subject jets and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows show team.

The Trumps volition laic a wreath connected the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, who died successful 2022, and the president and Charles volition wrapper up Wednesday with a white-tie authorities banquet, wherever they are owed to marque speeches.

It’s each designed to entreaty to a US person who this twelvemonth crowed “LONG LIVE THE KING!” astir himself connected societal media earlier the White House posted a fake mag screen of him wearing a crown.

The question for Britain is whether the reddish carpet invited volition triumph implicit Trump, whose unpredictability connected everything from tariffs to Ukraine and Gaza has caused planetary turmoil.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer volition beryllium hoping Trump leaves connected Thursday feeling the lukewarm glow of royal brushed powerfulness — but determination are nary guarantees.

Trump appeared to beryllium feeling the emotion arsenic helium arrived by chopper astatine the US ambassador’s authoritative residence successful London connected Tuesday with First Lady Melania Trump.

– Epstein’s shadiness –

“A batch of things present lukewarm my heart,” said...