King Charles III will host President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for a state visit to the United Kingdom from Sept. 17–19, Buckingham Palace said, rolling out traditional ceremonial elements including a carriage procession, a royal salute and a state banquet.
The palace confirmed the invitation in July and said the visit will be staged at Windsor Castle. Trump will be the first U.S. president to be invited for two state visits by a British monarch; he and Melania were hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2019. A palace aide said Charles "has known President Trump for many years and looks forward to hosting him and the first lady later this year."
Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to greet the Trumps and accompany them to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla. According to the royal household, a royal salute will be fired from the east lawn of Windsor Castle and at the Tower of London as part of formal welcome ceremonies. The four senior royals will then join the president and first lady in a carriage procession through the Windsor estate toward the castle.
After the procession, the Trumps will attend a luncheon at which, palace officials said, "as many of the royal family as the king can pull together" are expected to participate. A state banquet is scheduled for Wednesday evening; such dinners typically feature roughly 150 guests selected on the basis of cultural, diplomatic or economic links to the visiting country.
Security preparations have been ongoing in Windsor. Thames Valley Police said officers from a Specialist Search Unit carried out searches in the town in the run-up to the visit.
Darren McGrady, who served as a royal chef to the late queen and members of the royal family, said menu planning for state visits involves detailed meetings between the Foreign Office and the monarch’s office to identify dietary restrictions and preferences. McGrady, who cooked for five U.S. presidents during his career, said King Charles prefers cheese and organic produce and that menus often highlight British estate produce such as Balmoral salmon or venison from Sandringham. He said the late queen had avoided garlic and strong onion dishes and often favored well-done beef.
Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty magazine, described the visit as significant and emblematic of the monarchy’s "soft power," noting the monarch must remain politically neutral. "This event strengthens the relationship between both nations, and it’s one everyone is looking forward to," she told Fox News Digital. Seward said the royal family is "especially looking forward to this" and predicted a lively atmosphere because of Trump’s personality.
The visit’s formal invitation, known as a manu regia, was signed by the king and hand-delivered to the White House by British officials. As part of the program, Trump is scheduled to meet the prime minister to view the Sir Winston Churchill archives and to hold a news conference. Melania Trump will join Kate Middleton at Frogmore Gardens to meet Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels nature-based program; Kate has been joint president of the Scout Association since 2020. The president is expected to travel to Chequers during the visit before the Trumps return to the United States.
A wreath-laying at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor is also planned, where Trump will lay a wreath on the late queen’s tomb. A flypast by U.K. and U.S. military jets, including F-35s and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows, will mark part of the ceremonial program.
While guest lists for state banquets are typically confidential, Seward said the royals often invite entertainers and public figures to such events; past state banquets have included prominent cultural figures. She mentioned that when President Emmanuel Macron visited in July, the king arranged for a French chef to collaborate on the menu.
The visit continues a long-standing diplomatic custom in which foreign heads of state are invited to the monarch on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Organizers said the aim is to reinforce ties between the United Kingdom and the United States through ceremonial welcome, cultural exchange and official meetings.
Buckingham Palace and government officials have not released a full timetable of events or a complete guest list. Organizers said details about security, transport and official engagements would be finalized closer to the visit.