U.S. President Donald Trump will visit the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and lay a wreath during his state visit to the United Kingdom next week, Buckingham Palace said, as part of a three-day program that will include meetings with King Charles and other senior royals and a bilateral session with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The visit runs from Sept. 17 to 19. On the first full day, Sept. 17, Trump is scheduled to be greeted on the Windsor estate by Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, before being formally welcomed by King Charles and Queen Camilla. A royal salute will be fired at Windsor and at the Tower of London, and a flypast featuring UK and U.S. F-35 jets alongside the Red Arrows is planned.
Following a state lunch at Windsor Castle, the president will pay private respects to the late queen and lay a wreath at her tomb, and will take a short tour of St. George’s Chapel. That evening a traditional state banquet will be held at Windsor Castle, during which both King Charles and President Trump are expected to deliver speeches.
On Sept. 18, Trump will travel to Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire, where he will be met by a guard of honour from RAF Halton and a band of bagpipers. He will stop to view portions of the Sir Winston Churchill archives housed at Chequers before holding bilateral talks with Sir Keir Starmer.
Melania Trump has separate engagements in Windsor. She will accompany Queen Camilla on a tour that includes Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library, and will join Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Frogmore Gardens to meet members of the Scouts movement.
The invitation for the state visit was extended by Sir Keir Starmer on behalf of the king during a White House meeting in February, during which the leaders discussed a possible UK–U.S. trade deal. Buckingham Palace noted that the visit is a full state visit, a protocol more commonly accorded to first-term U.S. presidents; second-term presidents are traditionally offered less formal hospitality such as tea or lunch with the monarch.
The visit has drawn protest plans and criticism from some political figures. The Stop Trump coalition has organized a "Trump Not Welcome" demonstration in London on Sept. 17 and has called on the government to cancel the visit, accusing the president of "denying climate science" and "siding with war criminals — in Israel, Russia and beyond." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he would boycott the state banquet to "send a message" over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Since ascending the throne in September 2022, King Charles has hosted a series of state visits and official receptions, including one for French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife earlier this year. Buckingham Palace said the forthcoming visit will follow established ceremonial practice and will include multiple engagements intended to underline the UK–U.S. relationship.
Officials from the palace and the U.S. administration provided the itinerary details; further announcements about the visit’s program and security arrangements are expected in the days prior to the arrival of the presidential party.