Trump's first British state visit took place in 2019, when he was received by Queen Elizabeth II, one of the heads of state he is believed to have admired the most. After her passing in 2022, King Charles III is now inviting him to a new full-scale state visit – something no previous American president has been granted.
Five days of table setting
Such invitations are usually made on the recommendation of the government, and Trump's visit is seen as a diplomatic balancing act from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's side. The hope is to charm Trump with pomp and circumstance, to facilitate diplomatic talks on sensitive issues such as tariffs and the war in Ukraine.
Trump loves the monarchy and the royal family. It is a potentially diplomatic trump card for the British government, says Anna Whitelock, professor of modern monarchical history at the University of London City Saint George's, to BBC.
On the schedule is, among other things, a royal welcome ceremony led by Charles in Windsor on Wednesday. There will also be a state banquet in Saint George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, at the famous Waterloo table – which measures 50 meters, and is reported to take five days to set.
Not popular with everyone
On Thursday, it's time for talks between Trump and Starmer, at the Prime Minister's official country residence Chequers, a few miles north of Windsor.
Keir Starmer has, in a clever way, used the king to lure President Trump here and make it very pleasant for him, says court historian Hugo Vickers to the news agency AP.
It will be a brilliant opportunity, with all the goodwill that arises, to talk to him, and open up hopes for solutions in Ukraine and so on.
But to more or less openly butter up the controversial president is not popular in all quarters. Inside London, potentially rowdy Trump-critical demonstrations are expected. The fact that the program lacks points in the capital is therefore not seen as a coincidence.
