Onlookers, protesters bemoan Trump’s closed-door royal visit to Windsor Castle

WINDSOR, United Kingdom - A few dozen people turned out on Sept 17 under grey skies to witness US President Donald Trump’s pomp-packed visit to Windsor Castle, only to be disappointed that there was nothing to see.

Mr Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flew by helicopter into the castle grounds west of London, landing directly on its immaculate, sweeping lawns.

Far from prying eyes or noisy protesters, the American leader was then regaled with an unparalleled show of pomp and pageantry.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were on hand with other top royals to give Mr Trump a tour, for the first full day of his landmark

second state visit to the UK.

“Trump doesn’t want to see any opposition. And you know, that’s just what he’s about, isn’t it?” said Ms Lynn Iliffe, a pensioner from Stratford in east London.

She was brandishing a poster spelling out an acronym of Trump’s name as “Tyrant, Racist, Untruthful, Misogynist, Putinist”.

A man called Hugh, who was out walking with his wife and who did not want to give his full name, said he thought Prime Minister Keir Starmer had had no choice but to invite Mr Trump back to the UK, after his first state visit in 2019 was hosted by King Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

“I think at this time, probably our Prime Minister really does need a close relationship with America, possibly even more so than ever, because things aren’t going so well in his first year of government,” Hugh told AFP.

A 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six World War I-era guns on the castle’s east lawn, as a similar display occurred at the Tower of London, in the capital.

Some 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military took part, which UK officials say marked the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit to Britain in living memory.

The parade up the impressive avenue leading to the castle, which was festooned with US and UK flags, was televised live by the world’s media.

But outside the imposing castle ramparts, there was little to be seen or heard in the historic town of Windsor.

“It would have been nice for us to see the President,” said Ms Charlene Bryan, who had made a special trip from London to revel in the events.

“You know, some of them want to welcome the President, so it’s quite sad that the public cannot see the President.”

No cheers or applause

Polls indicate that Mr Trump, now in his second term in the White House, is hugely unpopular in the UK.

And some protesters gathered in Windsor to demonstrate against the visit and make their voices heard.

“Trump’s a shocking man. He’s an awful leader, and we don’t want him in our country, and we don’t want the way he runs his country,” said Helen from nearby Slough, who also did not want to give her full name.

Windsor and its roughly 32,000 residents are used to welcoming guests to the town, and to the oldest and largest occupied castle on the planet.

Hundreds of millions watched globally in 2018 when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle there, while it was the final stop for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral cortege after her death in September 2022.

And in July,

King Charles hosted French President Emmanuel Macron

for a state visit, when their centuries-old carriages paraded through the town’s streets, drawing cheers from the crowds.

But there was no applause for Mr Trump in Windsor on Sept 17, with the public kept firmly out of sight.

Pensioner Michelle Beeston from Staffordshire, central England, who had watched the horses rehearsing for the grand occasion the day before, was hoping to at least “hear the guns” and see a fly-past later in the afternoon.

Farmer Julie Bakersville, 60, lamented that “it’s obviously going to cost a fortune for us British... because the taxpayer is going to pay for it”.

“But I think it’s part and parcel of everything; we’ve got to do our bit, that we’re working with the other countries.” AFP