King Charles III hosted Donald Trump's state banquet at Windsor Castle on Thursday night, opening a two-day visit with a warm assertion of the United Kingdom's enduring bond with the United States. The monarch welcomed the guests with a nod to history and a message that the friendship remains strong as US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attended with Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos. The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Gloucester, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, were among the royals in attendance, along with other members of the royal family.
Charles, in a warm and witty keynote in St George's Hall, framed the banquet as a sign of an unparalleled partnership between the two nations. He noted that the relationship is anchored by the deep friendship of their peoples and by a shared history of alliance, sacrifice and collaboration. He referenced the long-standing link often described as 'special' and said that while oceans separate the nations, on the ground they are the closest of kin. The king also recalled a historical aside from the era of the War of Independence, joking that his five-times-great-grandfather George III did not spare his words when speaking of revolutionary leaders, and that today we celebrate a relationship neither Washington nor King George III could have imagined. He quipped about fate in a lighter vein, saying that in the 1970s President Richard Nixon was said to be obsessed with the Royal Family and might have tried to arrange a marriage between him and Nixon's daughter Tricia. Had the media succeeded in the 1970s in their own attempt at deepening the special relationship, I might have been married off within the Nixon family, he joked. The monarch concluded by toasting the remarkable bond and noting shared commitments to independence and liberty.
Trump opened his remarks by saying the visit is one of the highest honors of his life and joked that he hopes to be the only US president to make two state visits. He praised the King for remembering the names of all the guests and even those with names that are hard to pronounce, illustrating the close circle of attendees. He was seated between the King and the Princess of Wales, with Tiffany Trump nearby and Michael Boulos beside her. The First Lady was also at table as part of a carefully arranged seating plan that reflected longstanding ties between the two nations.
The guest list mixed business leaders and royals. Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman sat among the American delegation, with Altman positioned next to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch in the seating arrangement. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang also attended as part of the guest mix. The White House team did not seek special dietary arrangements, and the menu featured Hampshire watercress panna cotta, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and a vanilla ice bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior. The banquet table, laid out in the Great Hall, stretched 42.32 metres (about 51.75 yards) and seated 160 guests, each with five glasses.
Ahead of the banquet, the royal couple checked the table settings, with floral displays in pink, purple and yellow adorning the space. The king and queen consort greeted Household staff who helped choreograph the proceedings, and period touches included a 1945 vintage port selected for the president's birth year and a 1912 cognac tied to the queen mother's birth year. The event also featured a mix of music, from a James Bond medley to Elton John's Tiny Dancer and classical favorites, with Scottish dances honoring the President's family roots.
The Beating Retreat ceremony capped the formal portion of the evening, with about 200 military musicians performing on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle. The King stood on a stage beside the President, the Queen, and First Lady Melania as the display began. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among the onlookers. A planned joint UK-US flypast by four F-35 jets was canceled due to cloudy weather, and instead the Red Arrows staged a shorter flypast with their signature coloured trails lighting up Windsor. The RAF and US Air Force jets had been slated to fly together in a historic moment if weather allowed.
Earlier in the day, Trump visited St George's Chapel to lay a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, calling the visit a great honour. Outside Windsor, protests drew attention to the visit, with balloons critical of Trump seen in Parliament Square. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn praised protesters who displayed a banner featuring Trump and Jeffrey Epstein on Windsor Castle, though police addressed the incident. Thames Valley Police later said four people were arrested on suspicion of malicious communications in connection with the stunt at the royal residence.
The Trump delegation also included business and tech heavyweights who underscored the close economic and strategic alignment between the two countries. The night ended with a sense of continued partnership, even as public demonstrations and security considerations framed the visit. The two nations are scheduled to meet again in the coming days as the state visit proceeds, underscoring the broader cultural and political dimensions of the relationship.
