LONDON: Britain is providing a supersized royal welcome for Donald Trump’s unprecedented second state visit on Wednesday.
King Charles III will greet the US president who has previously compared himself to a monarch during the elaborate ceremonies.
The visit includes a carriage ride with the king, a joint military flypast, and a lavish state dinner within the nearly 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle.
Britain has organised its biggest military ceremonial welcome for any state visit in living memory to dazzle the mercurial Trump.
A massive security operation will keep the 79-year-old Republican away from protests and the British public during the entirely closed-door events.
Trump becomes the first US president to receive two state visits to Britain, with officials acknowledging his obsession with royal pomp and pageantry.
The programme features the first joint US-UK fighter jet flypast at such an event and the largest guard of honour with 120 horses and 1,300 troops.
Trump expressed appreciation upon arriving in London, stating that many things there warmed his heart given his Scottish heritage and British golf courses.
He described King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, as his friend during his arrival at the US ambassador’s official residence with First Lady Melania Trump.
The visit offers Trump respite from domestic turmoil following the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in the United States.
Prince William and Catherine will welcome the Trumps to Windsor Castle before the king and queen join them for a private carriage procession.
The presidential couple will lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, as part of the day’s ceremonies.
A military band ceremony will conclude with the historic flypast by US and British F-35 jets alongside the RAF Red Arrows display team.
King Charles and President Trump will deliver speeches at a white-tie state banquet wrapping up the first day’s events.
This lavish welcome contrasts sharply with British public opinion, where polls consistently show Trump remains unpopular among citizens.
Demonstrators projected images of Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle ahead of the visit, with protests planned in London.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Trump at Chequers on Thursday for talks that may address several potentially awkward subjects.
Starmer faces domestic political troubles after sacking his Washington ambassador over connections to the late Epstein.
Trump has been drawn into the Epstein scandal while maintaining the allegations represent a hoax against him. – AFP