President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump received a full royal welcome at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, joining King Charles III and Queen Camilla for a carriage procession, a state luncheon and an evening banquet as part of a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom.
The ceremonial arrival featured a mounted band playing the U.S. national anthem, a carriage procession that included 120 horses and about 1,300 British military personnel, and a planned joint flypast by U.K. and U.S. F-35 aircraft. Trump was scheduled to ride in the foremost carriage alongside King Charles while the first lady rode in a following carriage with the queen. Several senior U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and special envoy Steve Witkoff, were also set to travel in follow-up carriages.
The president and first lady arrived at Windsor by Marine One late Tuesday and were greeted at the castle by Prince William and Princess Catherine, who escorted them to meet Charles and Camilla. The formal events at Windsor included a state luncheon in the State Dining Room and an evening banquet in St. George’s Hall, where the Waterloo Table can seat up to 160 guests and reportedly requires five days to set with more than 4,000 pieces of silver and tableware.
Thames Valley Police led an intensified security operation for the visit, described by local authorities as one of the largest since the king’s coronation in May 2023. Measures included a comprehensive drone deployment across the castle grounds and increased policing of routes for the procession. British defense officials said the planned flypast was intended to demonstrate the defense and security partnership between the United Kingdom and the United States.
The visit marks the first time a U.S. president has been invited for two state visits by a British monarch; the late Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump and Melania in 2019. Trump welcomed the invitation and described his relationship with King Charles as friendly. "My relationship is very good with the U.K., and Charles, as you know, who’s now king, is my friend," Trump told reporters. "It’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honored twice. So, it’s a great honor. And this one’s at Windsor… they say Windsor Castle is the ultimate."
White House and British officials said the visit would be ceremonial and social in large part, with a focus on the historic ties between the two countries. The White House did not indicate any specific trade deals would be announced during the visit. Trump is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday; U.K. parliament is in recess during the visit, and no formal address to Parliament was planned.
Members of the Household Division Foot Guards lined the procession route and the Mounted Band of the Household Cavalry performed as part of the welcome. The state banquet expected more than 150 guests from royal, political and public life with ties to both countries. Ahead of the couple’s arrival, hundreds of staff worked through the halls and grounds of the nearly 1,000-year-old castle to prepare for the royal formalities.
Trump’s itinerary at Windsor also included a planned visit to St. George’s Chapel to lay a wreath in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022. Buckingham Palace is undergoing extensive renovations and will not serve as the principal royal venue until the work is finished, which officials have said is expected around 2027; the Trumps were staying at Windsor Castle for this visit.
British organizers emphasized the ceremonial nature of the events and the long-standing diplomatic relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. U.S. and British officials said the activities at Windsor were intended to showcase that partnership through traditional royal pageantry and military ceremonial elements rather than to negotiate or announce new policy agreements during the visit.