Specialist police carried out searches around Windsor on Friday as preparations intensified for US President Donald Trump’s two-day state visit to the United Kingdom next week.
Officers from a Specialist Search Unit were seen checking bollards, bins and public areas on the approach to Windsor Castle, with a sniffer dog deployed as part of a wider security sweep ahead of what authorities described as significant ceremonial and public events. Thames Valley Police said residents should expect ongoing searches in the area.
President Trump’s visit, his unprecedented second state visit to Britain, begins on Wednesday and includes meetings with senior members of the royal family and an overnight stay at Windsor Castle. The itinerary calls for Mr and Mrs Trump to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales on Wednesday morning in the grounds of the Windsor estate before an open-air greeting with the King and Queen. A fly-past featuring the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows and UK and US F-35 jets is scheduled on the East Lawn, followed by a Beating Retreat military ceremony.
A carriage procession through the Windsor estate is planned later in the day with King Charles, Queen Camilla, the Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales, with the route lined by members of the armed forces and performances by three military bands from the Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force. Buckingham Palace said there will be no public element to the president’s first day at Windsor Castle and that any carriage movements will be confined to Home Park.
Security has been stepped up amid plans for large protests in Windsor and London organised by the Stop Trump Coalition. Sergeant Amber Timmis of Thames Valley Police said officers were experienced in protecting high-profile residents and locations. "Being in Thames Valley Police, we've got lots of people that live here of a royal variety, so just making sure that everyone is safe is something we do quite often, so we're very used to it, very adept in that, and very experienced," she said. Asked about recent security breaches in the United States, Sergeant Timmis added: "We do what we do, we already have a clear strategy and a clear message from our side of things."
On Thursday, the programme includes a meeting between the Princess of Wales and First Lady Melania Trump at Frogmore Gardens in the Home Park, where they will meet chief scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme. Mr Trump is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers, the prime minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire.
Authorities have not released detailed security arrangements but the visible searches and canine patrols reflect a broader operation to secure the royal estate and surrounding public spaces in the days before the visit. Protest organisers have signalled intentions for large demonstrations in both Windsor and the capital; police forces in the area have said they are preparing to manage both the ceremonial events and public order considerations during the two-day state visit.