The second state go to comes because the UK seeks to strengthen ties with the Trump administration.
LONDON—U.S. President Donald Trump started his two-day state go to to the UK on Sept. 17 by assembly with the royal household at Windsor Fort.
The president and first woman arrived on the fort, about 20 miles west of central London, round midday native time, the place they had been welcomed with a ceremony wealthy in pageantry.
The go to comes because the UK seeks to strengthen ties with the Trump administration, revise the lately signed commerce deal, tackle the battle in Ukraine, and increase cooperation in areas equivalent to nuclear vitality and synthetic intelligence.
Upon their arrival, the Trumps had been welcomed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, earlier than being formally acquired by King Charles and Queen Camilla. A royal salute was fired concurrently from the East Garden of Windsor Fort and the Tower of London.
Earlier than departing for the UK on Sept. 16, Trump described King Charles as “my friend,” saying their relationship goes again a very long time.
“He’s such an elegant gentleman, and he represents the country so well,” Trump mentioned of the king.
Queen Camilla took half within the welcome ceremony after lately stepping again from public occasions to recuperate from acute sinusitis.
Lavish Windsor Fort Ceremony
The welcome ceremony continued with the royal household accompanying Trump and the primary woman on a carriage procession by the Windsor property.
Trump joined the king for the carriage procession, with the queen, First Girl Melania Trump, and the Prince and Princess of Wales following in separate carriages.
The route was lined with members of the British army, accompanied by army bands, which performed the U.S. and British nationwide anthems.
The army band began enjoying “The Star-Spangled Banner” because the carriages moved clockwise across the gravel path, adopted by “God Save the King.”
Upon arriving on the Quadrangle of Windsor Fort, the occasion was greeted by a guard of honor made up of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, and Scots Guards, a primary, as historically just one state shade is paraded at such an occasion, in keeping with Buckingham Palace.
The pipes and drums gave a royal salute and performed each nationwide anthems. Trump was then invited to examine the guard of honor.
The president and King Charles had been seen chatting and joking as they inspected the troops.
Following the ceremony, the king and queen led their visitors into the fort for lunch within the State Eating Room.
After lunch, they considered a particular exhibition within the Inexperienced Drawing Room showcasing objects from the royal assortment associated to the USA. Within the afternoon, they visited St. George’s Chapel to put a personal wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.
Later, the president and the primary woman joined the king and queen, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his spouse, together with U.S. and British army households, to look at a army ceremony on the fort’s East Garden. The occasion concluded with a flyover of the Pink Arrows, the Royal Air Pressure Aerobatic Group.
Within the night, the royal household hosted a state banquet at Windsor Fort in honor of the president and the primary woman.
The president and first woman stayed on the fort in a single day.
Trump’s final state go to to the UK befell in 2019 throughout his first time period, when he was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
This time, the royal household is internet hosting the Trumps in Windsor Fort attributable to ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace.
Second Day of Go to
On Thursday, Trump is anticipated to carry a bilateral assembly with Starmer, adopted by a enterprise reception and a press convention.
“This historic second state visit is set to highlight and renew the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” a senior U.S. official mentioned throughout a name previewing the journey. “At the same time, the visit will recognize and celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.”
The president’s delegation consists of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Ambassador Warren Stephens, Particular Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Chief of Workers Susie Wiles.
The go to will deal with boosting cooperation in science and know-how, civilian nuclear energy, protection know-how, and strengthening ties between the 2 nations’ monetary hubs, in keeping with the official.
The nuclear vitality deal that will likely be introduced through the bilateral assembly goals to “achieve full independence from Russian nuclear fuel by 2028,” one other senior U.S. official mentioned.
On Sept. 16, each international locations struck a know-how pact that might convey $42 billion in investments from U.S. tech giants into the UK’s AI infrastructure, in keeping with an announcement issued by the UK authorities.
Below the “Tech Prosperity Deal,” the 2 international locations would cooperate in advancing AI, quantum computing, and nuclear know-how.
Earlier than his departure, Trump famous that the UK needs to revise the commerce deal that was signed on June 16 by each international locations.
“They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit. We made a deal, and it’s a great deal, and I’m into helping them,” he added.
In London, small protests befell towards Trump’s go to.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wrote an op-ed about Trump’s go to.
Writing within the Guardian, the mayor mentioned: “We must also tell President Trump and his supporters to stop talking down and denigrating our great capital city. London is a global success story, no matter how much he wants to pretend otherwise. It’s open, dynamic and safer than every US state in terms of homicide rates.”
Throughout a visit to the UK in July, Trump mentioned the mayor had “done a terrible job” in London.
In June 2019, forward of Trump’s first state go to to the UK, the president mentioned Khan “should focus on crime in London” fairly than on him.
Chris Summers contributed to this report.
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