President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One Tuesday evening for an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, calling King Charles "an elegant gentleman" and saying he looked forward to speaking with his "friend" during the three-day trip.
The White House said Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, where the president will remain overnight. Planned events include a royal flypast, a carriage ride with the Princess of Wales and a state banquet, with a formal meeting involving the King and Queen and a separate greeting by the Prince and Princess of Wales on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to reporters before departure at the White House, Trump said the visit was "primarily" to meet the King and Queen and called it "a great honour" to be hosted at Windsor, noting that Buckingham Palace is more commonly used for state visits. "They're friends of mine for a long time, long before he was King, and it's an honour to have him as King," Trump said. "I think he represents the country so well, I've watched, he's such an elegant gentleman."
Officials in Britain said preparations included a heightened security presence around Windsor Castle. Buckingham Palace was approached for comment about whether Queen Camilla, who missed a funeral earlier in the day because of ill health, would be able to attend events with the Trumps; royal sources cited by British media said she was still expected to participate.
The trip follows Trump's first state visit to Britain in June 2019, when he met the late Queen Elizabeth II. The visit comes at a time of active diplomatic engagement between the two countries and domestic political discussion in Britain about the relationship with the United States.
In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty told MPs the government remained "focused on deepening our special relationship with the United States" for economic and security reasons. The parliamentary debate came after the dismissal of Lord Mandelson from an ambassadorial role was reported by British media, a development that has drawn attention as ministers outline Britain's diplomatic priorities.
Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch used the Commons session to press the government to apologise to victims of Jeffrey Epstein, asking whether ministers would take the opportunity presented by the visit to offer an apology. Doughty said he had made the government's position on Epstein's victims clear and expressed horror at the revelations surrounding the case.
Trump also praised Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer before departure, saying he "represents the UK so well," remarks that come as British leaders navigate public and political engagement with the visiting U.S. president.
The state visit is scheduled to last three days, with formal events taking place across Windsor and other royal venues. No public-facing elements were planned for Tuesday night, when the president and first lady will be hosted at Windsor; the main ceremonial and diplomatic engagements are set for Wednesday and Thursday. The White House said the visit aims to reaffirm longstanding ties between the United States and the United Kingdom and to advance cooperation on trade, security and other shared interests.