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LONDON, England<\/strong> \u2014<\/strong>\u00a0President Donald Trump <\/a>will travel to the United Kingdom<\/a> this week for a three-day state visit, as the president continues to navigate tense trade talks and war on the European<\/a> continent.<\/p>\n British Prime Minister Keir Starmer extended the invitation to Trump on behalf of King Charles III during a February visit to the White House, marking the first, \u201csecond\u201d state visit invitation ever dolled out to a foreign leader by the Crown. Trump\u2019s first state visit came back in 2019, three years before the death of Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a beautiful man, a wonderful man,\u201d Trump told Starmer at the time. \u201cYour country is a fantastic country, and it\u2019ll be our honor to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Trump and Starmer ostensibly occupy opposing ends of the political spectrum, the latter set the model other European leaders have successfully followed for engaging \u201cDear Donald,\u201d as Starmer likes to call the president<\/a>, during his second term: pile on the flattery.<\/p>\n Those efforts have yielded significant results. The U.K. was the first country to sign a trade deal with the U.S. after Trump announced his \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs back in April.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Starmer and other European executives have substantially shifted Trump\u2019s position on the war in Ukraine. On the campaign trail, Trump and his allies frequently criticized U.S. aid of Ukraine\u2019s defense efforts, but this summer saw Trump turn up the heat on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his invasion, even if the president\u2019s efforts to bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating table have stalled in recent weeks.<\/p>\n And while Trump will meet with Starmer multiple times on this trip, stretching from Sept. 16-18, the prime minister will receive a Royal assist in keeping the U.K. in Trump\u2019s good graces.<\/p>\n Famed British historian Sir Anthony Seldon notes that the Crown, though lacking much actual authority, can still flex the soft power necessary for maintaining relations with a leader like Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cIs there any leader anywhere in the world who has quite that same attraction to Donald Trump as the British monarch?,\u201d Seldon told Reuters. \u201cDerided by many as antiquated and hopelessly out of date \u2014 it\u2019s the royal family and the monarchy which is attracting the most powerful person in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles won\u2019t be the only Royal tasked with impressing the Trumps. <\/p>\n William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, will greet the president and first lady Melania Trump<\/a> upon their arrival in London and travel with the Trumps to Windsor Castle, the principal residence of the British monarchy for the past thousand years, on Wednesday.<\/p>\n There, Trump will be honored with a royal salute, simultaneously fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London, a joint US-UK F-35 flyover, a private state lunch with the King and Queen Camilla, and a lavish state banquet in the evening.<\/p>\n As if that wasn\u2019t enough, Trump is expected to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor and, on Wednesday, following meetings at Chequers with Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria, take a personal trip through the Sir Winston Churchill archives. Trump has repeatedly pointed to Churchill as one of his greatest political influences and maintained a bust of the former British prime minister in the Oval Office throughout both of his terms in the White House.<\/p>\n Melania Trump will similarly receive personal attention from the Queen and Princess. While Trump is soaking up Churchill, Camila will guide the first lady through a tour of the Queen Mary\u2019s Dolls\u2019 House, before Melania joins Catherine for an event at Frogmore Gardens to visit with Scouts Association members.<\/p>\n Still, Trump\u2019s visit may feature more than a few hiccups. <\/p>\n Sir Ed Davey, the leader of Britain\u2019s Liberal Democrats, has already announced plans to boycott Trump\u2019s banquet, based on America\u2019s support of Israel\u2019s war in Gaza<\/a>, and the U.K.\u2019s Stop Trump Coalition is planning a protest around Trump\u2019s arrival in London.<\/p>\n