What to Know About Trump’s Second State Visit to the U.K.—and How the Nation Rebelled Against His First
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that President Donald Trump will enjoy an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom.
News of the visit was widely expected, as the President was publicly gifted a personal invite in February, when U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented Trump with a letter from King Charles III during a visit to the White House.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]“He’s a beautiful man, a wonderful man… I’ve gotten to know him very well actually [in my] first term, and now second term,” Trump said of His Majesty as he accepted the invite.
Starmer noted how this second invitation was “unprecedented,” as traditionally U.S. Presidents are not offered a state visit during their second term, but instead an invitation to attend tea or lunch at Windsor Castle.
“That’s a great, great honor, and that says ‘at Windsor’ that is really something,” Trump marvelled. “On behalf of our wonderful First Lady Melania and myself, the answer is ‘yes,’ and we look forward to being there and honoring the King, honoring your country.”
Trump mentioned the visit once more in April, while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. “I was invited by the King and the great country. They are going to do a second fest—that’s what it is, it is beautiful… It’s an honor to be a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family,” he said.
Relations between the U.S. and U.K. currently appear to be strong. The U.K. was one of just three countries that managed to make a deal with Trump before his initial July 9 tariff deadline. And while certain aspects of the trade agreement are still being hashed out, Trump and Starmer have put on a united front, showcasing an amicable relationship at the 2025 NATO Summit and beyond. Others, including the E.U., haven’t fared as well in their negotiations.
In fact, ahead of his state visit, Trump has invited Starmer to attend a meeting with him during a “private” trip to Scotland later this month. Downing Street on Monday said that Starmer has accepted the invitation.
Although not yet confirmed, Trump is expected to be visiting his golf resort at Menie in Aberdeenshire. The President has a close connection to the country, as his mother Mary was a Scottish immigrant.
As the U.K. gears up to host the President and First Lady in September, here’s what you need to know about the highly-anticipated visit, which will take place against the backdrop of fraught international relations amid Trump’s tariff and trade rows.
When is Trump set to arrive in the U.K. for his second state visit?
The royals’ press office has confirmed that Trump will be visiting from Sept. 17-19.
Trump will be hosted by King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace continues to undergo renovations. French President Emmanuel Macron was recently hosted at Windsor for the same reason.
Windsor Castle is understood to have been the favorite royal residence of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch who died in 2022, and it is thought to be the oldest continuously-habited castle in the world.
Trump famously visited the U.K. during his first term as U.S. President
Trump paid a very brief visit to the U.K. in July 2018, meeting Queen Elizabeth II for a tea ceremony at Windsor Castle. The trip included an awkward moment which garnered a lot of attention, when the President broke royal etiquette by walking in front of the Queen. He then stopped during a ceremonial inspection of the guard, and the Queen had to walk around him.
However, this brief 2018 trip—during which Trump stayed at the U.S. ambassador’s official residence in Regent’s Park—was not an official state visit. That came a year later, in June 2019.
During the highly-publicized event, which saw the President and First Lady visit Buckingham Palace, Trump called Queen Elizabeth a “great, great woman” who embodied “the spirit of dignity, duty, and patriotism that beats proudly in every British heart.”
Read More: Trump Hails the ‘Reciprocity and Fairness’ of the U.S.-U.K. Trade Agreement
The controversial protests that took place during Trump’s previous visits
Thousands took to the streets of London in protest against Trump’s visits in both 2018 and 2019.
Trump caused quite the stir ahead of his state visit, notably going head-to-head with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who was vocal in his disapproval of Trump’s impending arrival.
The President said via social media: “Sadiq Khan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly ‘nasty’ to the visiting President of the United States… He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.”
In response, a spokesperson for Khan said: “This is much more serious than childish insults which should be beneath the President of the United States. Sadiq is representing the progressive values of London and our country, warning that Donald Trump is the most egregious example of the growing far-right threat around the globe.”
Protesters stood outside Buckingham Palace as Trump and First Lady Melania arrived at the royal residence. “I think Trump, in commenting on Khan, is completely out of order, but [it] also just proves his ignorance,” argued one protester.
On the second day of the President’s visit, thousands lined the streets of central London, sheltered by a giant balloon depicting Trump as a baby in a diaper, a symbol of resistance that soon became a viral sensation online.
“We have to get out there again in a diverse Carnival of Resistance that shows we reject Trump’s divisive politics and policies of bigotry, hate, and greed,” said the Stop Trump Coalition, who were among the organizers of the protest.
The group has remained active and has already spoken out about Trump’s second state visit.
“We will meet any Trump visit with massive protests and mobilisation on the streets, in our work places, schools, and communities,” the group vowed in June. “Starmer may want to celebrate Trump, but the British people are contacting us in huge numbers, pledging to join the protests and are united in their outrage at this state visit.”