US President Donald Trump will make an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom next week, the government said, after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer handed an invitation from King Charles III during talks at the White House.
The visit, which will include a formal welcome at Windsor Castle, a state banquet and meetings at Chequers with the prime minister, follows a decision described by Sir Keir as "truly historic" and "unprecedented." Mr Trump called the invitation a "great, great honour."
On arrival, the Trumps will be met by the US ambassador and a royal representative. On Wednesday they will travel to Windsor Castle, where the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to greet them before King Charles and Queen Camilla provide a formal welcome. A royal salute will be fired at Windsor and the Tower of London. After a lunch at the castle, the president will lay a wreath at St George's Chapel on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II, followed by a flypast featuring UK and US F-35 jets and the Red Arrows. A traditional state banquet will take place at Windsor on Wednesday evening, during which both the King and the president are expected to give speeches.
On Thursday Mr Trump will travel to Chequers for talks with Sir Keir Starmer, view the Sir Winston Churchill archives, hold a meeting and take questions at a news conference. Melania Trump will remain at Windsor for engagements that include a tour of the Royal Library, a visit to Queen Mary's Dolls' House and a meeting with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields alongside Catherine, Princess of Wales, who is joint president of the Scout Association, before joining her husband at Chequers for their return to the United States.
Final details about the equipment and personnel accompanying the president have not been confirmed. Mr Trump travelled to the UK in 2019 on the customised Boeing 747 known as Air Force One; his motorcade typically includes two identical armoured limousines nicknamed "The Beast" and a range of security and communications vehicles that are commonly flown to host countries on US Air Force transport aircraft. During the 2019 state visit more than 6,300 police officers were deployed in London at a reported cost to the Metropolitan Police of £3.4 million, and police in the capital have indicated preparations including airspace restrictions for the forthcoming visit.
Opposition to the visit has been signalled by the Stop Trump coalition, which has organised a "Trump Not Welcome" demonstration in London on Wednesday 17 September and called for the government to cancel the visit. The group accuses the president of denying climate science and of supporting what it describes as "war criminals" in several international conflicts. Demonstrations also took place in Aberdeen and Edinburgh during Mr Trump's recent visit to Scotland, and protesters gathered along the perimeter of his Turnberry golf course.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he would boycott the ceremonial banquet to "send a message" over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Organisers of state events and police have said they will balance public order and the right to protest with security for the royal household and visiting dignitaries.
Traditionally, second-term US presidents have not been accorded full state visits and instead have met the monarch for less formal lunches or teas, as happened with former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. The invitation to Mr Trump marks a departure from that convention.
Since his accession in 2022, King Charles has hosted a series of state visits, including from the Korean president and the emperor and empress of Japan, and led royal visits overseas with Queen Camilla to countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Kenya and Australia. The government said the upcoming visit is intended to strengthen bilateral ties and discuss trade and security co-operation, but added that some operational details remain under negotiation and will be confirmed nearer the arrival date.