Donald Trump will be received with large fanfare in the United Kingdom by the invitation of King Carlos III from September 17 to 19 for a second state visit after 2019, unheard of an unauded for an US president.
He will be accompanied by his wife Melania, said Buckingham Palace in a brief press release on Monday, July 14, added that Donald Trump, a great admirer of the royal family, would be received at Windsor Castle, west of London.
Donald Trump is very unpopular in the United Kingdom, 16% of favorable opinions and 70% of unfavorable opinions, according to a recent Yougov survey, and security measures promise to be draconian.
Charles III, a “wonderful man”
The King’s invitation was made public on February 27, when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had given the president of the United States, at the Oval Board of the White House, a letter from the monarch, in front of the television cameras.
Donald Trump, delighted with this “great honor,” had let the content see him, welcoming Charles III a “wonderful man.”
The invitation did not specify the date or the place, and evoked a first informal meeting in Scotland, at the Château de Balmoral or the Domaine de Dumfries house, a prestigious dwelling of the 18th century, before a state visit to a later date. In the Oval office, Donald Trump immediately mentioned Windsor.
A year of preparation
According to The Daily The Times, the British prime minister forced the king’s hand to “capitalize on the worshipers of the American president of the Royal Bomb.” The palace had reservations due to Trump’s threats to Annexar Canada, of which Charles III is head of state.
State visits are organized on the government’s recommendation. The visit of President Trump will take place two months after that of French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, received from July 8 to 10, also in Windsor, because Buckingham Palace is under construction.
They were entitled to a reception with custody of honor, a carriage tower, a review of the troops in the castle courtyard and the state dinner with about 150 guests, according to the usual script of state visits.
This privilege is rare, the palace organizes on average two state visits per year. They require up to a year of preparation.
During his visit to the State, Donald Macron spoke in front of the two cameras of Parliament, insisting in particular on the importance of the Franco-British relationship, Ukraine and Gaza.
The royal couple and the Macron couple multiplied the gestures of friendship during this visit, organized two years after the state visit of King and Queen Camilla in France in September 2023.
The first US president to be invited twice
The Commons Chamber will not sit during Donald Trump’s visit, due to the annual parts of the parties. Which relieves certain deputies who had already announced that they did not want to see Donald Trump. The House of Lores will be active.
No US president has never been invited for a second visit to the State, even in the case of re -election. The use is that the monarch invites them to tea or lunch in Windsor, during their second mandate. This had been the case of Barack Obama or George W. Bush.
But Donald Trump is particularly admiring to the royal family, like his mother, born on the island of Lewis in Scotland and had emigrated to the United States in 1930.
During his first state visit from June 3 to 5, 2019, Donald Trump was received by Queen Elisabeth II at Buckingham Palace. He still met her at the Château in Windsor in June 2021, when he had come to a G7 summit, and attended the funeral of the sovereign on September 19, 2022.
He also spoke with Prince William in Paris, on the occasion of the Reopening of Notre-Dame last December. The latter “does a fantastic job,” said Donald Trump, added that the heir prince was “very beautiful.”
Source: BFM TV
