US President Donald Trump arrives in UK for historic second state visit

London: US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived in London on Tuesday evening for a historic second State Visit to the UK at the invitation of King Charles III, who has laid out a royal reception at Windsor Castle.

The Trumps were greeted by US Ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens and Viscount Henry Hood, the King’s Lord-in-Waiting, as Air Force One landed at Stansted Airport.

"They're friends of mine for a long time, long before he was King, and it's an honour to have him as King. I think he represents the country so well, I've watched, he's such an elegant gentleman," said Trump, who pointed out that it was the first instance of an American President being “honoured twice” with a State Visit to the UK.

The US First Couple will be formally welcomed to the grounds of Windsor in Berkshire, south-east England, on Wednesday morning by the Prince and Princess of Wales – William and Kate, before collectively proceeding to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla.

“Their Majesties the King and Queen will formally welcome the President and First Lady outside, as a Royal Salute is fired from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle and at the Tower of London,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The Trumps will then join the King and Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, in a customary gilded carriage procession through the Windsor estate towards the castle. The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment will provide a Sovereign’s Escort for the procession, with the route lined by members of the British Armed Forces and three military bands from the Royal Marines, the Army and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

“On arrival at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, a Guard of Honour, with the State Colours of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards will greet the party. This is the first time at such an occasion that three State Colours will feature (conventionally only one colour would be on parade),” the palace said.

“The Guard of Honour will be joined by a Foot Guards Massed Band and the Pipes and Drums will give a Royal Salute; the Band will play the US and British National Anthems. The President and First Lady will join The King and Queen on the Royal Dais before The President, accompanied by the King, is invited to inspect the Guard of Honour,” the statement added.

A march past of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards Guard of Honour will be followed by the dignitaries proceeding inside Windsor Castle. A grand lunch in the State Dining Room will be followed by the viewing of a special display of items from the Royal Collection relating to the United States in the 11th century castle’s Green Drawing Room.

Trump, who was last hosted for a State Visit by the late Queen Elizabeth II in May 2019, will then visit St. George’s Chapel for a "private" wreath laying on the tomb of the former monarch. He and wife Melania will then be given a short tour of the historic chapel and attend a musical performance from its choir.

A Beating Retreat ceremony on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle is expected to be followed by a joint flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows, weather permitting. The State Banquet on Wednesday evening will form the centrepiece of the visit, as both Trump and the 76-year-old British monarch deliver their customary speeches to showcase the closeness of bilateral ties.

On Thursday morning, Trump will bid a formal farewell to the King and Queen at Windsor Castle before the US President travels to Chequers for his bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his countryside residence in Buckinghamshire where he will be greeted with another Guard of Honour.

Their talks are expected to “refine the trade deal” agreed between both sides earlier and will follow a viewing of Britain’s war-time prime minister, Sir Winston Churchill’s archives. A business reception hosted by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and a joint press conference will conclude the official engagements of the two-day visit.

Multi-billion-dollar investments are expected from US giants over the course of the week, with Google already confirming funding worth 5 billion pounds towards the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector, including a data centre in Hertfordshire.

Earlier, the British government had announced more than 1.25 billion pounds in private US investment in the UK's financial services sector.

“These investments reflect the strength of our enduring 'golden corridor' with one of our closest trading partners, ahead of the US presidential State Visit," said UK Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle.

Protests are also planned during the course of Trump’s visit in Windsor and London, with security forces mounting one of their largest security operations.