President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Tuesday head to the United Kingdom for a historic second state visit, where he will also meet with top U.K. officials to deepen ties with one of America’s closest allies.
The visit and invitation for the state visit are historic because Trump will become the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch.
During a background call on Monday with reporters, White House officials said that this visit will highlight what they called the deep ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.
“This historic second state visit is set to highlight and renew the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. At the same time, the visit will recognize and celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States,” a White House official told reporters during a background call previewing the trip.
Pomp and circumstance at Windsor Castle
The visit will have much of the same pomp and circumstance as Trump’s first state visit to the U.K., but there will be some notable differences. For one thing, the events will take place at Windsor Castle, while Trump’s previous visit was held at Buckingham Palace.
Another notable difference: the royals themselves. Trump’s previous visit was headed by then-monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. This time King Charles III will host the president, supported by the Prince and Princess of Wales — William and Catherine — who will play a major role as the red carpet is rolled out for Trump for the second time.
Back in February, in the Oval Office, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hand-delivered an invitation from the king to Trump.
There will be gun salutes from Windsor and London, and for the first time a U.S. president will take a carriage ride through the grounds of Windsor Castle, and enjoy a joint flyover performed by the Red Arrows and U.S. F-35 military jets.
One notable royal will not be present at all during the visit. Prince Andrew will not participate. Andrew’s ties to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were major U.K. news.
The disgraced Duke of York’s lack of attendance comes as the Epstein files and his own relationship with the late financier have been a political headache for Trump. And just days before Trump’s visit, the U.K. sacked their ambassador to the U.S. over emails showing his close relationship with Epstein.
Deepening US-UK ties
In addition to the ceremony and regalia, Trump will take time for diplomacy. On the final day of his visit, Trump is set to meet with the Starmer. The leaders will hold a bilateral meeting at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country estate outside of London.
Pressing global issues, including Russia and Ukraine, Russia’s threat to NATO’s Eastern flank and the war in Gaza will surely be a main topic for the leaders. Their visit comes after Starmer and other European leaders traveled to the White House to meet with Trump and Zelenskyy just after Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Putin. But since that meeting, during which allies expressed optimism of a path forward on security guarantees, no progress has materialized.
The meeting also comes as Russia has shown staggering provocation by violating Polish airspace with drones. Poland then invoked NATO’s Article 4 and European nations are rattled by the overt action. But Trump has seemed to suggest that the drone incident may have been a mistake. Starmer will surely want to discuss the issue with Trump, a leader who has not always been keen on the U.S. upholding Article 5 of NATO’s treaty — calling for mutual defense when one member is attacked.
The leaders will also surely discuss their relationship, namely announcing deals to strengthen tech partnerships between the nations and a deal to vastly increase the U.K.’s investment in nuclear power with the US.
Starmer will also likely make the case more favorable trade terms with the U.S. While the U.K. has solidified a tariff deal with the U.S., negotiations remain for some things, including steel and pharmaceuticals.
The White House adds that Trump will meet with U.S. and U.K. business leaders, but White House officials declined to confirm ones.
Asked for a dollar amount for how much these investments could be, a White House official on the call could not give an exact figure but said that the White House was “looking at more than 10 million, perhaps tens of billions.”
The visit will also highlight mutual cooperation in civil nuclear power, research, investment and development. The U.S. and the U.K. are expected to sign new deals that will enhance the build-out of new nuclear power stations in both countries and clear the way for a significant expansion of new nuclear projects in the U.K.
The agreement will enable companies to build new nuclear power stations more quickly in both countries by reducing bureaucratic hurdles and delays, officials said.
Kelly also said there will be advances in defense technology cooperation and an examination of how both the U.S. and U.K.’s leading financial hubs can be sustained into the future.
Other top officials will be traveling alongside Trump in the U.S. delegation include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Ambassador Warren Stevens and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
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