US President Donald Trump will visit the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle next week and lay a wreath as part of his second state visit to the UK.
He is due to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, with a traditional banquet being staged for him at Windsor.
President Trump will have talks during his three-day visit with Sir Keir Starmer at the prime minister’s country residence in Buckinghamshire.
Starmer issued an invitation to the UK on behalf of the King during a White House meeting in February to discuss a UK-US trade deal with the president.
The visit runs from 17 to 19 September – traditionally, second-term presidents are not offered a state visit and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch.
On 17 September, the first full day of their visit, Trump will be greeted by William and Catherine before being formally welcomed by the King and Queen as a royal salute is fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London.
There will also be a flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows.
Following a state lunch, the president will pay his respects to the late Queen in private before a short tour of St George’s Chapel on the Windsor estate.
That evening, a traditional state banquet will be held at the castle, during which both the King and president will deliver speeches.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he would boycott the banquet to “send a message” over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The following day, a guard of honour from RAF Halton and bagpipers will greet Trump when he arrives at Chequers and meets the PM and his wife, Lady Victoria.
Trump will stop off for a personal view of the Sir Winston Churchill archives held at Chequers, before having a bilateral meeting.
Melania Trump, meanwhile, will accompany the Queen to tour the Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House – the replica Edwardian residence was a gift to Queen Mary from the nation after World War One – and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.
She will also join the Princess of Wales at Frogmore Gardens to meet members of the Scouts movement.
The Stop Trump coalition is planning a “Trump Not Welcome” demonstration in London on 17 September.
It has called on the government to cancel the visit, accusing the US president of “denying climate science” and “siding with war criminals – in Israel, Russia and beyond”.
Since King Charles succeeded Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, he has hosted state visits from a number of international leaders and royals, including French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte earlier this year.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.bbc.com ’
