(AFP) – President Donald Trump will get the red carpet treatment this week on an unprecedented second UK state visit, as Britain counts on royal pomp and circumstance to woo the unpredictable US leader. From a flyby and carriage ride with King Charles III to a grand state banquet at historic Windsor Castle, Britain is pulling out all the stops to flatter Trump, who has long been fascinated with the monarchy. The aim is to keep Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Trump’s good side when they meet at the British leader’s country residence for talks centered on trade, tariffs, and the Ukraine war. Starmer has unapologetically courted Trump since his return to power, even hand-delivering a letter from the king in the Oval Office in February, inviting him to be the first US president to receive two state visits.
“President Trump is looking forward to his historic second state visit to the United Kingdom,” a senior US official told reporters including AFP on Monday. The official added that when Starmer visited, “the prime minister called this visit truly historic and unprecedented — which it is.” US officials said Trump and Starmer would also sign deals on tech worth at least $10 billion, while Trump’s delegation will feature tech leaders reportedly including the CEOs of Nvidia and Open AI. Trump will be kept far away from crowds and protesters, with all the action taking place outside London, where a large demonstration against the 79-year-old Republican is set to take place.
– Royal glitz – The opulent state visit was designed to play into Trump’s well-documented love of the British royals — his mother was Scottish — as well as his fondness for pageantry. Trump has often raved about his previous state visit during his first term in 2019 when he met Queen Elizabeth II. But with Trump upending the world and US alliances as never before, this time around is even more crucial for Britain, which has long cherished its so-called special relationship with Washington.
Heir to the throne Prince William and Princess Catherine will start the visit on a glitzy high, welcoming Trump and his wife Melania to Windsor on Wednesday. King Charles — who is undergoing treatment for cancer — and Queen Camilla will then treat the Trumps to a royal carriage procession, a Beating Retreat ceremony, and a military jet flyover during the day, capped by a state banquet in the evening. Trump will also make a private visit to the grave of the late queen, who died in September 2022.
Politics takes over on Thursday as Starmer hosts Trump at his Chequers country house and seeks to capitalize on Britain being one of the first countries to secure a US trade deal and avoid the worst of Trump’s tariffs. While tech and trade will be key topics, so will Ukraine. Trump is likely to stress his call for Britain and other NATO nations to slap up to 100 percent tariffs on China to get it to end its support for Russia’s war, US officials said.
– Melania and Catherine – First Lady Melania Trump, who is making a rare public appearance, will meanwhile have her own program on Thursday. She will tour the Queen Mary Dolls’ House at Windsor with Camilla and take part in a scouting event with Catherine, who has returned to the spotlight in recent months after a battle with cancer.
Despite the pomp, tensions will be lurking in the background. The White House said Trump would raise “how important it is for the Prime Minister to protect free speech in the UK” — a core topic which Trump’s former ally Elon Musk raised in a speech to a far-right rally in Britain over the weekend. Another awkward point is the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which is dogging Trump at home. Starmer was forced last week to fire Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to Washington, over his friendship with the disgraced sex offender.
– Danny Kemp with Peter Hutchison in London
© 2024 AFP
