Britain to roll out red carpet for second Trump state visit with a stay at Windsor Castle
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British PM Keir Starmer (left) sought to woo US President Donald Trump with a charm offensive to gain better leverage for Britain in tough trade talks with Washington.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Britain will welcome US President Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit in September, Buckingham Palace confirmed on July 14, saying he would stay as the guest of King Charles III at Windsor Castle.
The US President, “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 Sept 17 to Sept 19, 2025”, said a palace statement.
The visit will come only two months after King Charles, and his wife Queen Camilla, welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte to Windsor.
Mr Trump was invited by a personal letter from King Charles, which British Prime Minister Keir Starmer handed to him in February 2025 during a visit to Washington.
Mr Starmer has sought to woo Mr Trump with a charm offensive to boost ties and gain better leverage for Britain in tough trade talks with Washington.
A delighted Mr Trump, who has long been a big fan of the British royal family, has called the invitation a “very great honour”, and opened the letter from the King in the glare of the world’s cameras.
“This is really special, this has never happened before, this is unprecedented,” Mr Starmer said in the Oval Office as he handed Mr Trump a hand-signed letter from the monarch.
“This is truly historic.”
Britain rolled out the red carpet for Mr Trump in 2019 when he met the late Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles’ mother. No foreign leader has ever had a second state visit.
The Times daily said the King had however sought to put off the new visit until later in Mr Trump’s second term, but “Mr Starmer has gone against the wishes of the King” in bringing the visit forward.
“The Prime Minister has expedited a full ‘bells and whistles’ visit in an attempt to capitalise on the President’s fascination with the royal family,” The Times said.
Canada’s concerns
Mr Starmer will also meet with Mr Trump in July 2025 when the Republican leader is expected to visit Scotland, where he has two golf resorts.
The visit has not been publicly confirmed by the White House, but Downing Street said on July 14 that Mr Trump would be “visiting in a private capacity” and “the Prime Minister is pleased to take up the President’s invite to meet during his stay”.
Mr Trump’s threats against Canada have put King Charles, who is the country’s head of state, in a delicate position.
Mr Trump has threatened to slap a 35 per cent tariff on imports from Canada starting Aug 1 should become the 51st US state.
Reading the letter aloud in the Oval Office in February 2025, Mr Trump said he had been invited to the historic Windsor Castle, near London, one of the royal family’s ancient homes.
After reading the letter, Mr Trump said of King Charles: “He’s a beautiful man, a wonderful man – I’ve gotten to know him very well, actually. First term and now second term.”
He added: “On behalf of our wonderful First Lady Melania and myself, the answer is yes and we look forward to being there and honouring the King and honouring, really, your country.”
Unlike Mr Macron, who addressed the British Parliament during his state visit last week, Mr Trump is not currently scheduled to address the House of Commons which will then be on a break.
During the French leader’s visit last week
