British police have begun erecting metal barriers and tightening security around Windsor ahead of a state visit by the US president later this week, officials and media reports said Monday.
The multi-day operation, due to run from Sept. 17 to 19, will feature a heavy policing presence, a temporary restriction on airspace and the deployment of aerial drones to provide continuous surveillance over the royal town while the president is hosted by King Charles III, police said.
Thames Valley Police described the security operation as "significant" and said they were coordinating with UK security services and US protective teams. Inspector Matthew Wilkinson, the force's airspace bronze commander, said the temporary airspace order would bar non-police drones and smaller aircraft from the protected area and that police would engage with local residents, businesses and hobbyist aviators to publicise the restriction.
"We will have plenty of capability in the sky when the time is appropriate," Wilkinson said during a drone demonstration at the force training centre in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. He said police-used drones, including the DJIM 30T model being showcased, typically fly up to 120 metres and remain airborne for around 30 minutes before a replacement craft takes over to maintain coverage.
More than 100 US Secret Service agents are expected to accompany the president, alongside UK security personnel, and MI5 is monitoring potential lone‑wolf attackers and underground opponents, the Daily Mail reported. The scale of uniformed policing will run into the thousands across the two days, with specialist search teams already conducting physical checks of bollards, bins, drains and other potential hiding places around Windsor Castle.
Sergeant Amber Timmis of Thames Valley Police said searches would continue daily until the visit ends and that officers were experienced in providing security for high-profile royal and state events. Specialist Search Unit officers and sniffer dogs have been deployed around key locations, she said.
Reports in UK media also said military and special forces elements would be on standby. The Mirror reported that Special Air Service troops would be positioned to respond to any immediate threat, with backup from a US special forces unit, though police and defence officials did not elaborate on operational specifics.
The first day of the visit will have no public-facing programme, with the president expected to remain within the private Windsor estate. A flypast featuring the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows alongside UK and US F-35 jets has been planned for the east lawn of Windsor Castle, and a ceremonial welcome and a state banquet will be held in the state rooms. On the second day the president and first lady are scheduled to travel to Chequers, the prime minister's country residence in Buckinghamshire.
Preparations for presidential transport were also under way. The motorcade, including the presidential limousine commonly known as "Cadillac One" or "the Beast," will be transported to the UK on United States Air Force aircraft, according to reporting. US Marine helicopters, regularly used for presidential movement, were seen flying over Windsor on Friday.
The security measures come days after reports of the killing of a US conservative activist at a university in Utah — an event that police and planners said added complexity to contingency planning for the state visit. The heightened posture also follows an assassination attempt on the president in July 2024, when shots were fired at a campaign event in Pennsylvania; the president survived and the incident prompted scrutiny of protective arrangements in the United States.
Event organisers and police said they were anticipating large demonstrations. The Stop Trump Coalition has planned mass protests in central London on the first day of the trip, with a further demonstration expected near Windsor Castle. Authorities said they were preparing for both peaceful protest and the need to keep the route and venues secure.
Inspector Wilkinson said forces would use a range of countermeasures if drones or other aircraft entered the restricted zone, and stressed that the public would be kept informed about airspace restrictions and other temporary measures. Sergeant Timmis said the Thames Valley searches were part of a routine approach to public-safety events, and that officers were drawing on experience from previous high-profile visits and national security operations.
The state visit marks an unprecedented second state-level reception for a sitting US president in the UK. It will include formal ceremonial elements that organisers say have not previously been combined in the same visit, and it comes amid intensive planning to balance public access with the protective requirements of hosting a foreign head of state.
Police and government officials declined to provide a full operational picture of security deployments, citing the need to preserve operational effectiveness. Media reports and police comments indicate, however, that Windsor will be ringed with temporary physical barriers, a reinforced policing presence, and layered aerial monitoring while the president is in the country.