President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania, were greeted by Britain’s Prince William, heir to King Charles III, and his wife Kate Middleton as they touched down on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Wednesday morning. Regiments of the Royal Guard were also in position, per tradition, to mark the start of the presidential visit.
Trump could be seen shaking hands with Kate and William, with the group exchanging pleasantries as they made their way through the grounds of the royal estate.
After a brief meeting with King Charles III, Trump took part in a royal carriage procession while seated next to His Majesty. Camilla and Melania rode behind in a separate carriage. The horse carriages were decorated heavily with gold leaf, similar to that of Trump’s decor in the Oval Office since his second term at the White House.
Other U.S. officials, including Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, followed behind in another carriage.
Trump and Charles inspected a British Army guard of honor in the Quadrangle, an interior lawn at the royal residence. They then moved inside where Charles and Camilla hosted a private lunch for their U.S. guests.
President Trump and Melania previously met with Charles and Camilla for his first state visit to the U.K. in 2019, during which they attended a state banquet together at Buckingham Palace alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Before leaving for the U.K. on Tuesday, Trump referred to the British monarch as his “friend” when speaking to reporters outside the White House.
Although Trump received a warm royal welcome at Windsor Castle on Wednesday morning, protests unfolded at the regal residence as he touched down in the U.K. the evening before. The activist group Led by Donkeys projected images of the U.S. President with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle.
Following the incident, police arrested four people on suspicion of malicious communications.
On Monday, protesters had unveiled a large banner emblazoned with an image of Trump and Epstein on the lawn outside Windsor Castle. The banner, which has since been removed, was organized by the political campaign group Everyone Hates Elon.
Protests are set to continue across the U.K. on Wednesday. The main demonstration has been organized by the Stop Trump Coalition and is due to take place in London.
In 2019, during Trump’s last state visit to the U.K., an estimated 125,000 people attended a similar protest in the capital.
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