The US President and the First Lady will arrive in the UK on Tuesday
The Red Arrows will complete a flypast as part of Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. He will also be feted by the UK and US F-35 military jets on the lawns of Windsor Castle, a special Beating Retreat military ceremony and a grand banquet during his stay on September 17.
This will mark the first time both the Red Arrows and Beating Retreat have been deployed at an incoming state visit. However, the President’s trip will have no public-facing element on that first day, and he will instead stay within the private royal estate.
The second state visit, an unprecedented gesture for an American leader, has been shortened slightly due to his busy diary, it has since emerged. It was originally due to span September 17 to September 19, but now Mr Trump, who is arriving on September 16, will leave on September 18 following a day at Chequers with the Prime Minister.
It’s likely security risks and potential hostility from demonstrators have played a part in last-minute reschedule. Mr Trump, whose visit is set to spark mass protests, and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, will remain in the castle’s private estate on Wednesday and stay at the royal residence overnight.
They will not, in contrast to French president Emmanuel Macron, enjoy a carriage ride through the town nor take a trip into London to see the Grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. The Prince and Princess of Wales have been tasked with the initial royal meeting of Mr and Mrs Trump on the morning of September 17 in the grounds of the Windsor estate, when they will accompany them to meet the King and Queen for an open-air greeting.
The Trumps, the King, Camilla, William and Kate will then take part in a carriage procession through the estate to the castle. Kate will also carry out a joint engagement with the First Lady the next day when they head to Frogmore Gardens to meet Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme as they learn about nature to achieve their Go Wild badge.
Mr Trump appeared taken with heir to the throne William after they met in Paris in December, declaring that the prince was “very handsome” and adding “some people look better in person”. It is likely, but not confirmed, that both the prince, along with the princess, who announced at the start of the year that she was in remission from cancer, will attend the opulent state banquet for Mr Trump on Wednesday evening in the castle’s St George’s Hall.
The King and Mr Trump will both give speeches at the start of the white-tie affair. The ~President and his wife will visit St George’s Chapel privately on Wednesday afternoon to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, and then be given a short tour of the chapel and hear a musical performance from choristers of St George’s Chapel Choir.
On Thursday September 18, the President and First Lady will formally bid farewell to the King and Queen at Windsor Castle in the morning. Mr Trump will head to Chequers, the Prime Minister’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire, where he will be met again by Sir Keir and Lady Starmer, and greeted with a guard of honour from RAF Halton and bagpipers.
The president and the Prime Minister will view the Sir Winston Churchill archives held at Chequers, before having a bilateral meeting, joining a business reception with the Chancellor, and then holding a press conference. Meanwhile, the First Lady will carry out engagements with the Queen and Kate at Windsor.
She will first spend time with Camilla, touring Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library, before joining Kate in Frogmore Gardens. The First Lady will then travel to Chequers to join Mr Trump for the remainder of the final day’s programme before they depart later on Thursday.
During his last state visit at Buckingham Palace in 2019, Mr Trump visited the Abbey and also went for tea at Clarence House. There will be no visit to Parliament. The House of Commons will be in recess for party conference session, although the House of Lords is still sitting.
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