It is not conventional for US presidents serving two terms to receive an invitation for a second state visit, as ITV News US Correspondent Dan Rivers explains
US President Donald Trump will touch down on UK soil on Tuesday for a state visit hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Trump became the first US president to be invited to a second state visit when Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented him with a handwritten letter from the King in the Oval Office in February.
After reading the invitation in silence, Trump confirmed he and the First Lady, Melania Trump, had accepted the invite, replying: “That’s a great, great honour… that’s really something.”
Trump was previously hosted by the late Queen on a state visit during his first term in office in 2019, in what Starmer described as a “tremendous success.”
What is a state visit, and what can we expect from Trump’s second royal welcome?
State visits are ceremonial meetings between heads of state and are used to honour friendly – and sometimes not so friendly – nations.
King Charles formally issues the invitation for a state visit, but does so on the advice of the government.
It is not conventional for US presidents serving two terms to receive an invitation for a second state visit.
Instead, they may be invited to tea or lunch with the monarch, as was the case with former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush.
But state visits are often used by British governments to use the Royal Family’s soft power influence to court leaders of countries the UK wants to get closer to.
That’s why Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping have both had state visits.
It is the same reason Trump was invited just before his global tariff war got underway.
What official plans are there for Trump’s royal return?
The Royal Household has confirmed that President Trump and the First Lady will stay at Windsor Castle instead of the traditional Buckingham Palace, which is under maintenance.
The Trumps will spend Tuesday night at the US Ambassador’s residence, Wingfield House, in London’s Regent’s Park before travelling by helicopter to Windsor on Wednesday morning.
There, the President and First Lady will be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, who will accompany them to meet the King and Queen. At the same time, a Royal Salute will be fired from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.
The party will all travel by carriage through the Windsor estate towards Windsor Castle, with musical accompaniment from the Royal Marines, Army and RAF military bands.
After various renditions of both countries’ national anthems, the King and President will inspect the Guard of Honour, followed by a military ‘Rank and March past’ of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards Guard of Honour.
After lunch with other members of the Royal Family, the president will be invited to view special items from the Royal Collection relating to the United States.
Later in the afternoon, there will be a ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony – which involves a colourful pageant of military music and precision drill – and a flypast by UK and US F-35 jets and the Red Arrows.
On Wednesday, there will be a State Banquet, where both the King and President Trump will give speeches.
On Thursday, the president, the King and Queen will travel to Chequers to meet the prime minister and his wife, Victoria.
Here, Trump will get the chance to look through the Sir Winston Churchill archives before the two leaders have a bilateral meeting, followed by a business reception hosted by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Starmer and Trump will later hold a joint press conference at Chequers.
While Trump travels to Chequers, the First Lady will stay on in Windsor. She will be taken on a tour by Queen Camilla around Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and Windsor Castle’s Royal Library, before meeting the Chief Scout and members of the Scouts’ squirrels programme.
She will then travel to Chequers to join her husband, where they will say goodbye to the Prime Minister and Lady Starmer. The Lord Chamberlain will bid farewell to the President and First Lady on behalf of The King, before they depart the UK.
What is missing from Trump’s itinerary?
State visits often include a speech to Parliament by the visiting leader, but this visit takes place while the House of Commons is in recess for the annual party conference season.
This means the possibility of a joint address to Parliament is unlikely, as only the House of Lords will be in session.
Trump was blocked from addressing Parliament during his previous state visit by the speaker of the House of Commons, at the time, John Bercow.
Who will be in attendance?
Aside from the King and Queen, other senior Royals, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, will take part in events during the visit.
When French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were hosted by the King in Windsor in July, senior royals were in attendance, as well as senior cabinet members and the prime minister.
Leaders of the biggest rival political parties have also been invited, but only Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will attend, as Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey is boycotting the event.
The Royal Household has confirmed the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be abroad for royal duties during Trump’s trip to the UK.
What vehicles will President Trump bring to the UK?
Full details of the vehicles used during the President’s visit have not yet been revealed.
Trump is expected to arrive in the UK via the President’s plane, one of two modified Boeing 747-200B series, known as Air Force One.
Several cargo planes often go ahead of the president to carry vehicles which may be required while abroad, including his armoured limousine named ‘The Beast.’
During his state visit in 2019, a motorcade and helicopters accompanied Trump.
A 24-hour police operation will be underway
Police say their security plans are under constant review. A 24-hour security operation will be in place in Windsor during the Trumps’ visit.
Police have said drones will act as an “eye in the sky” over the Berkshire town. Each drone used can fly up to 120 metres (400ft) and is expected to stay up for 30 minutes at a time during the operation.
From September 16, when the state visit rehearsal is due to take place, a temporary order restricting airspace over Windsor will come into effect until September 18.
It means that drones not owned by the police and smaller aircraft cannot fly through the protected area.
Policing Trump’s 2019 state visit cost almost £3.5 million, which is just short of £4.5 million today.
Who will Trump bring with him?
It is being reported that Trump may be accompanied by some of the ‘tech bros’ of Silicon Valley as part of his entourage.
The bosses of the world’s biggest AI companies, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and the chief executive of Nvidia Jensen Huang, as well as Apple’s Tim Cook, are understood to be part of a delegation of US executives to join Trump.
Huang visited the UK in June, taking the stage with Starmer, during London’s Tech Week, where he criticised the state of the UK’s AI infrastructure.
The invitation has been met with some protest
Darren Jones MP, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, told ITV News earlier this year that the government were looking forward to welcoming the president.
“It works in our interest to make sure we maintain that positive relationship,” he said.
But the invitation received mixed reviews. Liberal Democrats leader, Sir Ed Davey, is boycotting the state banquet during Trump’s visit, over the situation in Gaza.
“I fear we could have a situation where Donald Trump comes to our country, is honoured with a lavish dinner at one of our finest palaces, yet no one reminds him that he has the power to stop the horrifying starvation and death in Gaza and get the hostages released,” he said.
Anti-Trump campaigners are expected to stage a mass demonstration on the day of Trump’s arrival.
Protests occurred during Trump’s first state visit, where a 20-foot Trump baby blimp flew over Parliament Square.
The Stop Trump Coalition’s spokesperson, Seema Syeda, has said: “Trump’s authoritarian politics are not welcome here.
“Keir Starmer should not be rolling out the red carpet for Trump.”
On the other hand, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage – a long-time friend of Trump – has been looking forward to the president’s visit. He has been lobbying for the government to recall parliament, which is in recess, so Trump can address MPs and peers like many other world leaders have previously, an idea rejected by Starmer.
Farage has accused the prime minister of standing in the way of being invited by the King to the state banquet.
“They wouldn’t invite me,” he said, “I’ve only known him personally as a friend for over a decade, but that shows you the attitude of this Labour government.”
Will the state visit pay off?
President Trump is a known fan of the British Royal Family and will no doubt relish a second opportunity to soak up the lavish hospitality they provide on a state visit.
But for Starmer and the UK government, this state visit is all about diplomacy and staying in favour with the world’s most unpredictable leader.
Cosying up to Trump appears to have paid off so far, with the UK avoiding some of his most damaging global trade tariffs. Starmer will be hoping to make further progress towards a full free trade deal with Trump during the visit, but he is under far more pressure to use his influence for other means.
The conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine are likely to be high up the agenda, with Starmer pushing the president to further support Ukraine and contain Israel.
Only time will tell as to whether the softly-softly strategy will work and whether, as Starmer told Davey at PMQs, the best way to influence Trump is to be in the room with him.
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