Melania Trump arrived at Windsor Castle in a mauve skirt suit on Sept. 17, accompanying President Donald Trump as the couple met King Charles III and Queen Camilla to formally open the state visit to the United Kingdom.
The 55-year-old first lady wore a skirt suit that flared at the waist and fell below the knee, with her hair in a slick bun partly covered by a wide-brimmed hat in a slightly brighter purple hue. She walked alongside the president, Prince William and Princess Kate in the Walled Garden on the Windsor estate before the group moved to Victoria House to greet the king and queen.
The president arrived by helicopter and emerged with the first lady at about 12:16 p.m., according to the timeline reported by the Daily Mail, which noted he was a few minutes later than the planned 11:55 a.m. arrival. The king and queen were reported to have arrived in the state Bentley at approximately 12:02 p.m. Royal aides said Queen Camilla had rested at Windsor Castle the previous afternoon after pulling out of the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral because of acute sinusitis but was well enough to greet the Trumps.
Also accompanying the president were his daughter Tiffany Trump, 31, and her husband, Michael Boulos, 28; Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were not present for the visit, the report said. Camilla wore a sapphire blue dress, a matching coat and a Philip Treacy hat, and Princess Kate wore an Emilia Wickstead dress and a hat by Jane Taylor, the Daily Mail reported.
Windsor Castle is serving as the venue while Buckingham Palace remains closed for multi-year renovations. The visit, described by the Daily Mail as an unprecedented second state visit, included a full ceremonial programme at Windsor: a carriage procession through the estate, a lunch in the State Dining Room, a planned tour of St. George's Chapel and a wreath-laying at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. The Trumps and members of the royal family were scheduled to attend a state dinner at Windsor Castle that evening, where both the president and the king were expected to deliver speeches.
The visit also carried diplomatic and economic elements. The Daily Mail reported that the president was expected to announce major financial commitments described as worth "tens of billions" of dollars and would be accompanied by a delegation of American technology and financial executives. The report said discussions would include trade agreements that could affect post-Brexit commercial ties between the two nations, as well as potential arrangements on defence and nuclear technology.
A Washington source quoted by the Daily Mail said the president appreciates ceremonial pageantry and that British state events fit that preference. The newspaper placed the Trumps' appearance in the wider context of state protocol and bilateral negotiations being pursued during the visit.
Officials from the U.K. and U.S. government, and representatives from the royal household, have not been quoted here beyond details reported in the Daily Mail coverage of the Windsor arrival and ceremony.