Trump Making Unprecedented Second UK State Visit: What to Know
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain has been set for September, marking a historic moment for the president.
Charles will host Trump at Windsor Castle, just like he did Emmanuel Macron of France last week.
"The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 17 September to 19 September 2025," Buckingham Palace's announcement read.
"His Majesty The King will host The President and Mrs. Trump at Windsor Castle."
Trump will become the first president to make two official state visits to the U.K.
King Charles III and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during their state visit, in London, on June 4, 2019.
King Charles III and President Donald Trump pose for a photo during their state visit, in London, on June 4, 2019.
Chris Jackson -Donald Trump's Arrival
The details are still being finalized but one option would be to mirror the choreography from Macron's visit, which saw the French president arrive at R.A.F. Northolt, in West London.
Macron was greeted there by Prince William and Princess Kate before traveling some 14 miles to Windsor Castle for the official welcoming ceremony.
Trump touched down at Stansted during two visits in his first term but those were London-based and the commercial airport is further from Windsor than R.A.F. Northolt.
Official Welcome
One decision, though, will be whether to offer Trump a carriage procession through Windsor as part of the official ceremonial, as was done for Macron.
Ingrid Seward, author of My Mother and I, told Newsweek: "R.A.F. Northolt will be repeated because that is standard for a state visit to Windsor but what won't be repeated is the carriage drive around the town.
"I just cannot see the Secret Service allowing it to happen when you could have someone in an upstairs window taking a potshot at the President.
"There's no way that the carriage ride is going to happen which is a shame. It was so intimate for Charles and Macron because it was Windsor and you're quite close up to what was happening, but its definitely not going to happen."
What there will likely be is a Guard of Honor at the Quadrangle in Windsor Castle, which Trump and Charles will likely inspect together.
Another precedent is Joe Biden's visit to the U.K. in June 2021 which ran along those lines.
Biden had been at the G7 summit in Cornwall and helicoptered into Windsor where there was a guard of honor formed of The Queen's Company, First Battalion, Grenadier Guards.
Queen Elizabeth II then met Biden privately in Windsor Castle but there were posed photos in The Grand Corridor, George IV's largest addition and where he hung his most impressive artwork, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
Protests
The Stop Trump Coalition is planning a protest for September 17 at 2 p.m. in London, according to its website. A further protest will be organized at Windsor, The Independent reported.
Trump's past visits have attracted major demonstrations, hence the absence of a carriage procession in his first term, due to security fears. Royal carriages are, of course, not quite as impenetrable as the presidential state car, nicknamed The Beast.
In 2018, there were reportedly 250,000 protesters in London, according to The Independent.
The president is no more popular in Britain now, with polling by YouGov showing 57 percent of Brits think he has been a "terrible president," 13 percent a "poor president," 9 percent a "good president" and 4 percent a "great president," as of June 23.
The location in Windsor, however, may dissuade the less dedicated demonstrators, with only the more motivated willing to make the train journey west from London.
Donald Trump's U.K. Itinerary
Major renovations at Buckingham Palace mean the three-day visit will be hosted at Windsor Castle, but the President is also expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which could happen either in Windsor or in London.
Unlike Macron, though, there are no plans for Trump to address Parliament, in part because Britain's legislature will be in recess.
They could hypothetically recall Parliament but that would be a gift to any politicians who might want to rock Starmer's diplomatic apple cart and there are plenty of those within his own party.
Starmer and Trump will have much to talk about with the war between Russia and Ukraine high up the agenda, perhaps alongside trade, and the entire purpose of the visit is part of the U.K. Government's charm offensive to keep the President on the same page as Britain diplomatically.
There will be a State Banquet and the royals will be out in force, with tiaras likely for the grand occasion.
Princess Kate made it to Macron's visit and wore the Lover's Knot Tiara, which she paired with a Givenchy gown by Sarah Burton, her wedding dress designer.
One other possibility is Trump may, like Macron, privately visit St George's Chapel, in Windsor, to lay flowers on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.
Trump did not attend her funeral or her lying-in-state at Westminster Hall as Joe Biden was president at the time, so it would be an opportunity to pay his respects to a woman he has said he had huge respect for.
The View at the Palace
A palace aide told Newsweek earlier this year how Trump's team were easy to work with during his first term, in no small part because the president loves the Monarchy.
"Everyone who was around at the time when the President visited recalls it with genuine warmth," they said, "and actually both the team and the principals were incredibly courteous, polite, engaged and engaging.
"So it's one of those visits that's remembered with great affection and positivity here."
King Charles' Invitation to Trump
In February 2025, during Starmer's official visit to Washington, he hand-delivered Trump a letter from King Charles, inviting him for a second state visit.
The Oval Office moment was carefully orchestrated: Starmer presented the letter publicly in front of the cameras.
Trump, visibly intrigued, remarked, "Am I supposed to read it right now?" as he examined the private, signed letter before the gathered media.
"This is really special. This has never happened before. Unprecedented," Starmer said. "I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us."
"I think the last state visit was a tremendous success," he continued. "His Majesty the King wants to make this even better than that. So, this is truly historic."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reported birthday card from Trump to Epstein shines new light on their friendship as fallout from files release mounts
Donald Trump reportedly helped celebrate Jeffrey Epstein's 50th birthday with a bawdy greeting accompanied by a hand-drawn image of a naked woman. A report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday uncovers new details about the relationship between the president and disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, whose death and connections to Trump are at the center of a A letter bearing Trump's name, which was reviewed by The Journal, contains several lines of typewritten text framed by a drawing of a naked woman. His signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair, according to the report. The letter concludes: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' In an interview with The Journal, Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the picture: 'This is not me. This is a fake thing. It's a fake Wall Street Journal story.' Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein pictured in 1992. A new report shed new light on the friendship between the two men (NBC News) 'I never wrote a picture in my life. I don't draw pictures of women,' he told the conservative-leaning newspaper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who has over the years supported Trump. 'It's not my language. It's not my words,' Trump told the newspaper. A typewritten note styled as an imaginary conversation between Trump and Epstein, written in the third person, is reportedly included inside the outline of the naked woman. In the imagined conversation, Trump says 'we have certain things in common, Jeffrey,' to which Epstein replies, 'Yes, we do, come to think of it.' 'Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?' Trump writes, according to The Journal, which had reportedly reviewed pages from a leather-bound album of birthday cards examined by Department of Justice officials who investigated Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in 2022. The explosive revelation follows a disastrous week for the Trump administration as the president repeatedly tries to dismiss the so-called Epstein files as a Democratic 'hoax.' Thursday's revelations illustrate a closer than previously reported relationship between the president and Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of minors before he was found dead in his jail cell in 2019. A Department of Justice memo on July 6 had effectively closed the case, affirming that no such 'client list' exists despite demands from Trump's supporters and allies for a full accounting of Epstein's death and alleged ties to a wider child trafficking conspiracy implicating powerful figures. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly promised to release FBI files related to Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell on on August 10, 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. But the president's promises fell flat. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on Trump's directive, also promised to release the files, but after months of delays, the memo from the Justice Department and FBI said agencies would not be releasing any more documents relating to the case. Bondi had claimed the files were 'sitting on her desk' in February. She invited right-wing influencers to the White House for a photo-op at the end of that month, where they held up binders containing 'Phase 1' of the Epstein files, largely made up of already publicly available information about the case. Epstein died while in prison facing sex trafficking charges. While conspiracies have swirled about his 'client list,' Trump officials have recently said that no list exists () Bondi continued to stall. In May, she claimed there were 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,' which fueled further conspiracy theories that powerful people were being protected, and that 'Phase 1' binders were allegedly buying time. The administration's failure to release any other details about the investigation has been a major blow for Trump's supporters — including those within Trump's own administration. Deputy FBI director Don Bongino, who last year amplified conspiracy theories that Epstein was murdered, almost walked over the memo, according to reports. Trump has spoken out against those questioning him about the release of the Epstein files. (AP) While the White House likely hoped MAGA's fury would blow over quickly, outrage has only intensified. Frustrated, Trump lashed out at his supporters this week and reportedly complained in private that they won't 'shut the f*** up' about the Epstein files. Trump has spent several days publicly calling the Epstein case 'boring' and 'bulls***' as he questioned the loyalty of gullible 'weaklings' who demanded more from his Justice Department. 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!' Trump said in a Truth Social fury post. Even the White House has tried to temper the fury. On July 17, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked whether the president would appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the Epstein case. 'The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case,' Leavitt said. 'That's how he feels. And as for his discussions with the attorney general, I'm not sure.' Trump's friendship with Epstein spanned the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and Trump's phone number — as well as First Lady Melania Trump's — were included in Epstein's infamous leaked address books. Trump's name also appeared seven times in passenger logs for Epstein's planes. The pair reportedly fell out in 2004, when Epstein and Trump both tried to buy a Palm Beach estate. The next year, the FBI began investigating Epstein for child sex trafficking. He pleaded guilty to a state charge of soliciting sex from a minor in 2008. Trump distanced himself from his former friend after Epstein's arrest in 2019, when Trump was president. 'Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,' Trump said on July 9, 2019, one day after Epstein's arrest. 'I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan.' Asked three days later what contributed to that 'falling out,' Trump said 'the reason doesn't make any difference, frankly.' One month later, Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's U-Turn on Nvidia Spurs Talk of Grand Bargain With China
(Bloomberg) -- Only a few years ago, the Biden administration declared export controls a 'new strategic asset' to help the US maintain 'as large a lead as possible' over China in advanced technology. President Donald Trump is now upending that approach. The Dutch Intersection Is Coming to Save Your Life Advocates Fear US Agents Are Using 'Wellness Checks' on Children as a Prelude to Arrests LA Homelessness Drops for Second Year Manhattan, Chicago Murder Rates Drop in 2025, Officials Say In a reversal this week, the White House told chipmaker Nvidia Corp. it could soon resume sales of its less advanced China-focused H20 artificial intelligence accelerator. Advanced Micro Devices Inc. received similar assurances from the US Commerce Department. Explaining the decision, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration wanted Chinese developers 'addicted' to American technology, while insisting the US wouldn't sell China 'our best stuff.' That, he said, required a more balanced policy that would keep the US 'one step ahead of what they can build so they keep buying our chips.' The shift in strategy, which angered China hawks in Washington, raises a key question as Trump sets the stage for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year: How far will the US go in rolling back a range of measures restricting business between the world's biggest economies imposed in the name of national security? 'The apparent loosening of export control on the H20 chips could be a sign of things to come,' said Kevin Xu, a tech investor and founder of US-based Interconnected Capital who formerly worked in the Obama administration. 'A wide range of bargaining chips are on the table now for a potential US-China tech grand bargain: Semiconductor manufacturing equipment, rare earths, battery technology, AI chips, even mutual market access.' While the US is a long way off from dismantling the bulk of restrictions on China, spanning everything from export controls to investment curbs to sanctions, Trump's recent actions open the door to redefining the economic relationship between the nations mere months after his imposition of 145% tariffs took them to the brink of decoupling. Talks in Geneva and London then led to a truce in which the US agreed to lower tariffs and ease export controls in return for rare-earth magnets used to make goods like smartphones, electric vehicles and high-tech weapons. Even though Trump's first term changed the conversation in Washington to focus on the threat posed by China, the US president has always been transactional and less rigid on traditional national security issues. Trump has downplayed privacy issues over TikTok and on the campaign trail made comments welcoming Chinese automakers to build plants in the US. 'He is not ideologically fixated on the need to have controls everywhere,' said Dominic Chiu, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group. 'So, if he sees that as a bargaining chip that he can use to gain concessions from China on rare earths and other things, then he would do it.' The move adds to the goodwill built over a recent flurry of diplomacy, including a cordial meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malaysia. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the previous trade talks, expects to meet his counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, within 'the next couple of weeks' and has signaled the US will likely extend an Aug. 12 deadline for the snapback of sky-high tariffs. The two sides are now inching toward what could be a series of agreements, if not a single grand deal, ahead of a potential leaders' meeting that analysts speculate could happen around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that kicks off in late October in South Korea. After meeting his Chinese counterpart last week, Rubio said such a sit-down was likely without suggesting a timeframe, saying the two sides will have to 'build the right atmosphere and the right deliverables.' He added that 'there's a strong desire on both sides to do it.' For the Trump administration, the objectives may look a lot like the president's first-term playbook: securing large-scale Chinese purchases of American goods to address the persistent trade deficit. He may also demand more Chinese action to curb the flow of fentanyl precursors — an area where Trump on Wednesday praised Beijing for already making 'big steps.' Washington is also seeking a resolution to the future of video app TikTok's US operations and assurances that Beijing won't weaponize its control over rare earths and other critical minerals. China, for its part, has an ambitious wish list. Among them is the complete rollback of US tariffs, including the 20% duties linked to fentanyl and the legacy tariffs from Trump's first term that were upheld by Biden. Beijing may also push for an easing of investment restrictions and, crucially, further concessions on US export controls, which it views as a direct attempt to stifle its technological advancement. Kurt Tong, a former US consul general in Hong Kong and a partner at The Asia Group, said while Biden adopted a non-negotiable 'small yard, high fences' approach to technology, Trump has a different focus and is looking to show his transactional tack can bring results for the American people. 'He cares about trade, deficits, investment in the United States and getting along with China,' Tong said. That could make welcoming Chinese investment in the US — which would also help rebalance bilateral trade — an appealing notion to Trump, as he alluded to in his campaign remarks. 'In general, in this town, that is a forbidden suggestion,' said Washington-based Gerard DiPippo, associate director at the RAND China Research Center. 'However, if there's one president who might go for it, it's Trump.' --With assistance from Josh Xiao. (Updates with more details in 10th paragraph.) What the Tough Job Market for New College Grads Says About the Economy How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All Forget DOGE. Musk Is Suddenly All In on AI The Quest for a Hangover-Free Buzz How Hims Became the King of Knockoff Weight-Loss Drugs ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
New York Post
13 minutes ago
- New York Post
Douglas Murray: A 50-day deadline is 50 days to kill. Force Putin's hand now
Who would ever have thought that dealing with the Middle East would look easy? But that is what President Trump has shown since he came into office. And though there is still needs to be a hostage-return and cease-fire deal in Gaza, the President's strong and decisive action against the mullahs in Iran helped pacify the world's least pacifist region. By contrast, the other great foreign policy challenge President Trump inherited remains as complicated as hell. The president and vice president's duffing-up of President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office in February might have been a low point in US-Ukraine relations. But in the months since then it is Vladimir Putin who has started to annoy President Trump. Because it is Putin who has been so completely unwilling to budge. Every time a cease-fire has looked close, the Russian president has sent even more rocket and drone barrages towards Ukraine. As the months have progressed Trump has admitted to losing patience with his Russian counterpart. That culminated this week in the president's announcement of two new steps in his efforts to stop the war. The first, mentioned alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the White House, is for America to sell high-quality US weapons to America's European allies, who will in turn pass them on to the Ukrainians. This is a clever move on the president's part — making sure that Ukraine continues to be able to defend itself without committing the financial resources that Trump has repeatedly told his voters he wouldn't send. The second announcement was that America could impose secondary tariffs on Russia. Again, it is a smart idea. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! The allegedly 'stringent' sanctions that the Biden administration placed on Russia since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have failed to work. The Russian economy has not faltered. It has gone onto a wartime footing and a full armaments-producing capability. And while America and other Western allies might not have any dealings with the Russian economy, much of the rest of the world still does. In fact, despite all the tough talk from Europe, there are reports that EU countries bought more Russian natural resources in the past year than they sent in financial aid to Ukraine. Talk about mixed messaging. But for the past three years, Russia has had plenty of other countries it can still sell its oil and natural gas to. These include Turkey, India and South Korea. So Trump suggested this week that he is considering putting secondary tariffs on such countries. That is, if countries want to help fund Putin's war efforts by buying his natural resources then they will have to pay at least 100% tariffs when dealing with the United States. In effect these countries would have to choose which market they'd rather operate in. Would they rather have access to the greatest market in the world — the US — or would they like to continue to barter at Vladimir Putin's decrepit trade stall? It's a smart policy, and we'll see if the president follows through on it. But in the meantime there is one vast, looming problem. The president has given Russia 50 days' notice on the secondary tariffs issue. As President Zelensky said in an exclusive sit-down with The Post this week, this gives Putin 50 days to continue escalating the conflict. As Zelensky said to Caitlin Doornbos, 'Fifty days, for us, is just — every day is scary.' He is right. It is hard to communicate to readers living in the realm of peace just what a 'normal' night is like even in the capital of Kyiv these days. Even a quiet night will include the sound of multiple Russian drones and UAVs flying at the city, plus the bursts of gunfire as under-equipped Ukrainian forces try to shoot the Russian weapons down from the sky. Putin has shown before that he likes to 'outsmart' Trump. In March, the two leaders agreed to an immediate cease-fire against all energy and infrastructure. Within hours, Putin carried out one of his biggest attacks to date on Ukraine's energy facilities. It is almost certain that if Putin thinks he has 50 days before anything happens he will use those 50 days to up his attacks and then stall for more time. Perhaps Trump can do with Putin what he so successfully did with the Iranian mullahs. Which was to offer to count to 10 and then go ahead and surprise them. We'll see. The battle is not just a fight for Ukraine's survival. It is also a battle of nerves between two of the most steel-nerved leaders in the world. How many voters really care about Epstein? Twitter (X) is not the real world. Who knew? If you were on the social media site for the past week you'd have thought that the most important issue to American voters is the dead criminal Jeffrey Epstein. There´s a huge amount we still don't know about the convicted sex offender. And there's plenty about him — the sources of his wealth, high-profile connections, and manner of his death — the public deserve to know about. But outside the Twitter-sphere Epstein isn't the story at the moment. Some MAGA influencers have decided that the release or otherwise of all known information about Epstein is a 'make or break' issue between them and the President. The President has expressed understandable frustration that he should be distracted from matters like, say, the economy, and keep getting asked about Epstein. Online personalities threaten that Trump is going to lose all support from his base unless every file relating to Epstein is released. And yet despite this bragging threat, the polls show otherwise. President Trump's approval rating among Republican voters actually went up this week, according to two separate polls. So whether or not the administration is right in its attitude towards the files, Trump himself is absolutely wise to look at his Twitter critics and say, 'Oh yeah, you and whose online army?'
