2025 state visit by Donald Trump to the United Kingdom

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State visit by Donald Trump to the United Kingdom
Charles III and Camilla, King and Queen of the United Kingdom with Donald and Melania Trump in 2025 at Windsor Castle State Banquet on 17 September 2025 (cropped).jpg
Date16 to 18 September 2025
TimeArrival: 8:39pm BST (UTC+01:00)
Departure: 5:54pm BST (UTC+01:00)
Location London
Windsor
Chequers
TypeState visit
ParticipantsPresident Donald Trump
First Lady Melania Trump

From 16 to 18 September 2025, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, made a state visit to the United Kingdom with his wife, the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump. He was received by King Charles III and stayed at Windsor Castle, and later met Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers where they held a joint news conference to discuss a range of topics, including foreign affairs, trade, and immigration. [1] The Trumps had previously met the King (then-Prince of Wales) and Queen Camilla (then-Duchess of Cornwall) at Clarence House during the NATO summit in London in December 2019.

Contents

This was Trump's second state visit to the United Kingdom, which occurred during his second presidency, the first occurring in June 2019 when he was received by Queen Elizabeth II during his first presidency. [1]

Observers noted that Starmer used the state visit to build a warm personal relationship with Trump, with both leaders praising the "special relationship" between the two nations. This was seen by some as a diplomatic strategy to curry favour with Washington and avoid potential diplomatic penalties over policy disagreements.

The state visit was met with protests, mostly involving Trump's association with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and the timing coincided with the sacking of former UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, over his own association with Epstein. The UK curated Trump's visit to avoid any potentially embarrassing protests. [2]

Background

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump held their first Oval Office meeting on 27 February 2025. The meeting marked Starmer's first visit to the White House and took place after Trump's return to office following the 2024 presidential election. Starmer hand-delivered a letter from King Charles III inviting Trump for a second state visit to the UK. Trump accepted the invitation. [3] Before this meeting, no world leader had more than one official state visit to the UK; [4] US Presidents are typically invited for tea with the British monarch if they visit the UK for a second time while in office. [3] Trump's predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama only made a state visit in 2003 and 2011, respectively, but during the end of their second terms they had tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in 2008 and 2016. [5] It was later announced that the visit would take place from 17 to 19 September 2025. [6]

The state visit took place amid controversy surrounding Trump's social and professional relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as Peter Mandelson's sacking as British ambassador to the US due to his own ties to Epstein. This created a diplomatic predicament for Trump, and his team were reportedly concerned about the timing, as Mandelson's dismissal over his links to Epstein could have shone an unwelcome spotlight on Trump's own past association with him. A source with knowledge of the White House's discussions said that Trump's team was "nervy" about anything that could resurface the Epstein scandal, and they were concerned Mandelson's dismissal would overshadow the UK state visit. The Guardian noted that with Trump having his own well-documented links to Epstein, "there is no subject he wants to revisit less" than the scandal surrounding Mandelson's ties to him. For Trump, whose priority was to avoid distractions during the state visit, the controversy arrived at an "especially awkward" time. [7] [8]

Schedule

16 September

On arrival at Stansted Airport, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were received by Warren Stephens, the United States Ambassador to the Court of St James's and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. [9] [10] [11] They were formally welcomed on behalf of King Charles III by the lord-in-waiting, Henry Hood, 8th Viscount Hood. [9] The President and First Lady flew in Marine One to Winfield House, the official London residence of the U.S. ambassador, located in Regent's Park, where they stayed overnight. [9]

17 September

The Trumps, having arrived in Marine One, were greeted by William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Windsor Castle before being formally welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. [1] [12] A royal salute was fired by Windsor Castle and the Tower of London to mark the occasion. [13] The President and First Lady then joined members of the British royal family for lunch at Windsor Castle, after which they were shown a special exhibition in the Green Drawing Room featuring items from the Royal Collection relating to the United States. [14] During the exchange of gifts, the King was presented with the replica of a sword kept in the collection of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library while the Queen received a Tiffany & Co. vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch. [15] The director of the library later resigned from his position after refusing to remove the original sword from the collection to be given to the King and he was allegedly told "Resign - or be fired". [15]

President Trump and Melania Trump later laid a wreath on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II at St George's Chapel, with President Trump describing the visit to the Chapel as a "great honor." [16] The presidential couple, accompanied by the King and Queen, viewed a special Beating Retreat military ceremony performed by British and American musicians at Windsor Castle's East Lawn, marking the first time this kind of ceremony was performed at a state visit. [17] [9]

On Wednesday evening, a traditional state banquet was held in St George's Hall at the castle, during which both the King and president delivered speeches, [18] with Trump and Charles III each hailing the US–UK Special Relationship. [19] [20] [1] The banquet was attended by 160 guests, [21] [22] including Trump's daughter Tiffany Trump, technology titans such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, U.S. diplomats Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, and Steve Witkoff, and UK Conservative Party opposition leader Kemi Badenoch. [23] [24]

18 September

The president and first lady formally bid farewell to the King and Queen on Thursday morning. [25] [26] Trump then travelled to meet the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, and his wife Victoria Starmer, at Chequers, the country house of the prime minister in Buckinghamshire. The president and the prime minister viewed the Winston Churchill archives at Chequers before their meeting and a joint news conference. [27] [1] The first lady joined Queen Camilla on a tour of Queen Mary's Dolls' House and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, before attending a scouting event at Frogmore Gardens with the Princess of Wales. [28] [29] [30] The princess is the joint president of The Scout Association, and with the US first lady, would host the Scouts and share miniature books and leaf printing. [28] [30] [29] [1] The first lady then traveled to Chequers to join her husband before their departure to the United States. [28] [31] [1]

Press conference

During their meeting, Trump pledged American investments in the UK worth £150 billion and during their press conference, dubbed the "Tech Prosperity Deal". [32] Trump said the US and UK had an "unbreakable bond", "priceless ties" and were "closer than ever". [27] [31]

Starmer said that he and Trump had discussed a resolution of the Gaza war: "we are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East". [33] Starmer intended to recognise a Palestinian state after Trump's visit, [34] which Trump did not agree with and called "one of our few disagreements". [35]

Trump departure

After departing Chequers, Trump headed for Air Force One. [31] The flight taxied from Stanstead Airport at 5:50 pm and departed at 5:54 BST, marking the end of the visit. [33]

Opposition and protests

Government

Several days after the state visit was announced, Conservative Party Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Alicia Kearns demanded Prime Minister Starmer cancel the state visit. [36] Following the Trump–Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting, Scottish First Minister John Swinney called for Trump's state visit to be cancelled if the U.S. ends support for Ukraine. [37]

The banquet at Windsor Castle was boycotted by Ed Davey, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats in protest at Trump's policies toward the Gaza Strip and the ongoing humanitarian crisis there. [3] Davey said that Trump "has the power to stop the horrifying starvation and death in Gaza and get the hostages released" due to his influence over Israel, Qatar and the Gulf states. [3] First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan also declined her invitation to the banquet, with a statement from the Welsh Government stating that she believed it would be better to remain in Wales to support her colleagues following the death of Hefin David. [38] The Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Emma Little-Pengelly attended the banquet though the First Minister Michelle O'Neill declined the invitation to attend. [39] The United Kingdom branch of Republicans Overseas however, hosted a reception at Windsor Guildhall. [40]

Non-government

By March 2025, a petition calling for the cancellation of Donald Trump's state visit to the UK had reached 250,000 signatures. [41]

According to a YouGov poll released on 17 September, half of Britons (45%) thought it was wrong to invite Trump to come for a second state visit, compared to 30% who thought it was the right move. [42]

The UK curated Trump's visit to avoid any potentially embarrassing protests. [2]

Jeffrey Epstein scandal

On 15 September 2025, members of the UK collective Everyone Hates Elon installed a 400-square-metre print of a widely circulated photograph of Trump and Epstein on the lawns of Windsor Castle. [43] On 17 September, journalists were detained for questioning after police confiscated an advertising van associated with the group People vs Elon that was displaying images of Trump and Epstein on the streets of Windsor. [44]

Peter Mandelson's dismissal

Earlier in September, a major scandal occurred in the UK surrounding former British Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, which led to Starmer dismissing him from his diplomatic post. [45] During a September 18, 2025 press conference in the UK, Trump claimed he did not know who Mandelson was, despite having met him multiple times. Trump made the statement when asked by Beth Rigby if he had any sympathy for Mandelson after he was dismissed from his role as ambassador. In response, Trump stated: "I don't know him, actually." He added that it was a choice made by the Prime Minister and suggested Starmer was better placed to speak on the matter.

Despite Trump's claim of not knowing Mandelson, multiple sources and photographic evidence show they have met on several occasions. In May 2025, Mandelson stood with Trump in the Oval Office during the announcement of a US-UK trade framework. Photos captured the two shaking hands and smiling together. According to Mandelson, Trump commented on his "beautiful accent" during one Oval Office meeting. Mandelson also received a signed note from Trump that read, "Peter, great job!". [46] [47]

Windsor Castle projections

On 16 September, members of the Led By Donkeys protest group, which had also targeted Trump during his last visit to the UK, projected a nine-minute video discussing Trump and Epstein's relationship from a hotel room opposite Windsor. The video also included a photograph and video clip of Virginia Giuffre, a widely circulated photograph of Prince Andrew, Duke of York with Epstein, and photographs of Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. [48] [49] [50] Officers reportedly investigated the projection to "swiftly" stop it. Four individuals were arrested the following day, which according to an official statement by Thames Valley Police, was done on the grounds of malicious communications and an "unauthorised projection". [51] [52] [53] [49] They included a 60-year-old from East Sussex, a 36-year-old and a 50-year-old from London, and a 37-year-old from Kent. All four were released on conditional bail until 12 December 2025 according to Thames Valley Police. [54]

According to Led By Donkeys, it was the first time anyone from the group had been arrested for a projection. [50] [55] Led by Donkeys later told The Guardian that the arrests were "Orwellian" and "ridiculous." They mentioned that they had made between 25 and 30 projections prior to these arrests. [55] They stated in their interview:

“Forgive the cliche, but it is rather Orwellian for a piece of journalism, which raises questions about our guest's relationship with America's most notorious child sex trafficker to lead to arrests.” “We’re constantly told, you know, we need to see peaceful protests. Well, here's a peaceful protest ... We projected a piece of journalism on to a wall and now people have been arrested for malicious communications. I think that, frankly, says a lot more about the policing of Trump's visit than it does about what we did.” “Trump is being welcomed to our country, being given the unique honour of a second state visit, and it's being housed at our expense at Windsor Castle,” they said. “This is like The Emperor's New Clothes – you've got to point at it and say, ‘Hang on. You know, this guy has incredibly close links to America's most notorious child sex trafficker. We probably need to talk about that.’ And so we decided to build a film that would tell that story.” [55]

The morning of 17 September, a van parked outside Windsor Castle displayed an image of Trump and Epstein alongside the text: "Welcome to the UK, Donald." [54]

Trump Not Welcome demonstration

A "Trump Not Welcome" demonstration was held in London on 17 September by the Stop Trump Coalition. [1] The coalition has accused Trump of "denying climate science" and "siding with war criminals – in Israel, Russia and beyond" and asked the British government to cancel the state visit. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Clarke, Jennifer (4 September 2025). "Donald Trump's second UK state visit: Here's what we know". BBC News. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Four men freed on bail over Trump-Epstein projection at Windsor Castle". Sky News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Morton, Becky (27 August 2025). "Ed Davey to boycott Trump state banquet over Gaza". BBC News. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Lawless, Jill (17 September 2025). "Trump basks in pageantry at Windsor Castle to start his 2nd state visit to UK". PBS News . Associated Press.
  5. ↑ "Trump will be hosted by King at Windsor during second state visit". BBC News. 14 July 2025. Archived from the original on 10 September 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "State Visit by The President and First Lady of the United States". The Royal Family. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  7. ↑ Edwards, Christian (16 September 2025). "Why an Epstein scandal could haunt Donald Trump's unprecedented trip to Britain". CNN. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Why President Trump's U.K. state visit comes at an awkward time for Britain's leader". www.cbsnews.com. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Badshah, Nadeem; Pearce, Matthew (16 September 2025). "Donald Trump lands in UK for second state visit as protesters gather in Windsor". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Trump lands in UK for second state visit". The Independent. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "What will Donald Trump do on the UK state visit and where will he go?". BBC News. 4 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Tait, Albert; Furness, Hannah; Penna, Dominic (17 September 2025). "Royal family welcomes Trump to Windsor - watch live" . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Trump begins historic two-day state visit to the UK". ITV News. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Donald Trump state visit to UK: Live updates". BBC News. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Official quits after dispute over Trump's Eisenhower sword gift to King Charles". BBC News. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Murphy, Victoria (17 September 2025). "President Trump and Melania Trump Visit Queen Elizabeth's Grave". Town and Country Magazine. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Hennessay, Ted (17 September 2025). "King and Donald Trump in 'grateful' mood after Beating Retreat ceremony". The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  18. ↑ NBC News (17 September 2025). "Watch Trump and King Charles' full remarks at state dinner with British royal family" . Retrieved 19 September 2025– via YouTube.
  19. ↑ Tabahriti, Sam; Holden, Michael; Holland, Steve (17 September 2025). "Trump hails UK special relationship as he revels in pomp of historic state visit". Reuters. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  20. ↑ Coughlan, Sean (17 September 2025). "King and Trump hail UK-US special relationship in state banquet speech". BBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "What's on the menu and who's on the guest list at state banquet?". bbc.com/news . 18 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  22. ↑ "Bold Color Combos and Big, Big Tiaras: What the Trumps and Royals Wore to the State Banquet at Windsor Castle". Vogue.com . 18 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Who's who at Trump's second state banquet". Sky News. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  24. ↑ McCreesh, Shawn (17 September 2025). "Here's Who Attended the State Dinner at Windsor Castle". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "State Visit by The President and First Lady of the United States". www.royal.uk. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "Chequers talks and a scout group - day two of Trump state visit". BBC News. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  27. 1 2 De Silva, Chantal (18 September 2025). "Trump's U.K. visit gets political after royal pageantry". NBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 McArthur, Tom (18 September 2025). "Sweet treats for Kate and Melania as they host Scouts". BBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  29. 1 2 Furness, Hannah (18 September 2025). "Princess of Wales and Melania host Scouts at Windsor" . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  30. 1 2 "UK's Queen Camilla and Princess Kate entertain US first lady with miniature books, leaf printing". Reuters. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 "Live-Trump departs Chequers for Air Force One". Yahoo News. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  32. ↑ Edwards, Charlotte; Race, Michael (18 September 2025). "US firms pledge £150bn investment in UK as tech deal signed". The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  33. 1 2 Shear, Michael; Bengali, Shashank; Castle, Stephen; Nelson, Eshe; McCreesh, Shawn; Haberman, Maggie; Sanger, David; Dearden, Lizzie; Liston, Enjoli; Landler, Mark; Friedman, Vanessa; Nauman, Qasim (18 September 2025). "UK State Visit Updates: Trump and Starmer Expected to Announce Big Business Deals" . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  34. ↑ Badshah, Nadeem (17 September 2025). "Starmer to recognise Palestinian state 'after Trump state visit'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "Trump says he disagrees with Starmer's decision to recognize Palestinian state". National Public Radio . 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  36. ↑ "Starmer not going to be 'diverted' over state visit calls". The Independent. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  37. ↑ "Trump's state visit should not happen if US ends support for Ukraine – Swinney". The National. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  38. ↑ "First Minister Eluned Morgan declines invitation to Trump state banquet". ITV News. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  39. ↑ "Emma Little-Pengelly says Michelle O'Neill's boycott of Trump visit 'is a mistake'". BBC News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  40. ↑ Jackson, Joe (16 September 2025). "Windsor prepares for global spotlight with Trump state visit". NBC. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  41. ↑ "Petitions to cancel Donald Trump's UK state visit hit 250..." Newsweek. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  42. ↑ "How do Britons feel about the 2025 Trump state visit? | YouGov". yougov.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  43. ↑ "Huge Trump and Epstein photograph unveiled outside Windsor Castle". independent.co.uk. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  44. ↑ Brown, Fiona (17 September 2025). "Journalists detained as ad van with Trump and Epstein picture seized by police". The National. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  45. ↑ Batchelor-Hunt, Nadine (11 September 2005). "Lord Peter Mandelson Sacked As Ambassador To US". Politics Home.
  46. ↑ "Peter Mandelson? I don't know him, claims Donald Trump". Politico. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  47. ↑ "Donald Trump claims he 'doesn't know' Peter Mandelson in response to Beth Rigby question". Sky News. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  48. ↑ "Four arrested after Trump-Epstein photo projected on Windsor Castle ahead of presidential visit". ITV News. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  49. 1 2 "Four arrests after images of Trump and Epstein projected on Windsor Castle". www.bbc.com. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  50. 1 2 "Photos of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein projected onto Windsor Castle". Vanity Fair . 18 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  51. ↑ Ray, Siladitya (17 September 2025). "Four Arrested For Projecting Trump-Epstein Images On Windsor Castle Ahead Of President's Visit". Forbes. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  52. ↑ "Arrests made following unauthorised projection at Windsor Castle". Thames Valley Police. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  53. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (17 September 2025). "Led By Donkeys attacks 'Orwellian' arrests after Trump Windsor projections". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  54. 1 2 Phillips, Aleks (18 September 2025). "Four men bailed over Windsor protest". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  55. 1 2 3 Topping, Alexandra (17 September 2025). "Led By Donkeys attacks 'Orwellian' arrests after Trump Windsor projections". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
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