(AFP) – Britain will roll out a supersized royal welcome for Donald Trump’s unprecedented second state visit on Wednesday, with the king set to greet the US president, who has compared himself to a monarch. From a carriage ride with King Charles III to a flypast and a lavish state dinner in the nearly 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle, Britain is going to unprecedented levels to dazzle and flatter the mercurial Trump.
A huge security operation will keep the 79-year-old Republican far away from protests and the British public — among whom polls show Trump remains unpopular — with the extraordinary show of pomp and pageantry unfolding entirely behind closed doors. Knowing that Trump is obsessed with Britain’s royals and loves showy displays of pomp, Britain has turned up the pageantry to the max as he becomes the first US president to visit Britain twice.
The trip will involve what UK officials call the biggest military ceremonial welcome for any state visit in living memory — even bigger than when Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump in 2019. Trump will also get the first joint flypast by US and UK fighter jets at an event of its kind, and the largest guard of honour at a state visit, featuring 120 horses and 1,300 troops. It’s all designed to appeal to a US leader who this year crowed “LONG LIVE THE KING!” about himself on social media before the White House posted a fake magazine cover of him wearing a crown.
The question for Britain is whether the red carpet welcome will win over Trump, whose unpredictability on everything from tariffs to Ukraine and Gaza has caused global turmoil. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be hoping that Trump leaves on Thursday feeling the warm glow of some royal soft power, but there are no guarantees.
Trump appeared to be feeling the love as he arrived by helicopter at the US ambassador’s official residence in London on Tuesday with First Lady Melania Trump. “A lot of things here warm my heart,” said the president, whose mother hailed from Scotland and who has two golf courses in Britain. He described Charles, 76, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, as “my friend.” The Republican may also relish a chance to escape a turbulent period at home in the United States, where the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has caused deep turmoil.
Trump’s day will begin with heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Catherine welcoming him and Melania to Windsor Castle, the home of the British royals for nearly a millennium. King Charles and Queen Camilla are then due to join them for a carriage procession through the grounds of Windsor estate towards the castle — again behind closed doors. The Trumps will lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022.
Trump will also witness a military band ceremony, ending with a flypast by US and British F-35 military jets and the Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows display team. The president and Charles will wrap up the day with a white-tie state banquet, where they are due to hold speeches.
The lavish welcome, however, stands in contrast to public opinion in Britain, where polls show Trump remains unpopular. Demonstrators projected images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle late Tuesday, while protests are planned in London on Wednesday. Starmer will host Trump on the second day of the visit on Thursday at his country residence Chequers for talks that could turn awkward on several fronts. The British premier in particular faces political troubles at home, after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over a scandal involving the diplomat’s connection to the late Epstein. Trump has also been dragged into the scandal, while insisting it is a “hoax.”
– Danny KEMP
© 2024 AFP
