King Charles III greets Trump in Windsor at start of historic second state visit to UK

US President Donald Trump was greeted by the royalty, military honour guards and mounted troops at Windsor Castle on Wednesday to begin a two-day state visit to Britain as the guest of King Charles III.

Prince William and his wife Catherine met the president’s Marine One helicopter as it landed in the private Walled Garden on the castle estate, walking the president and First Lady Melania Trump to be greeted by the king and Queen Camilla.

The Trumps then travelled to the castle in a procession of horse-drawn carriages, past ranks of soldiers, sailors and aviators, as military bands played the US and British national anthems.

The king and president chatted in their coach during the short journey to the castle quadrangle, where Trump and the monarch inspected an honour guard of soldiers.

The day of royal pageantry is the highlight of the president’s unprecedented second state visit to the UK.

And it is on a scale designed to impress the grandeur-loving president, involving some 120 horses and 1,300 troops, including the largest guard of honour in living memory.

It's a spectacle with a purpose: to bolster ties with a world leader known for a love of pomp at a time when his America First policies are putting pressure on both global trade and security arrangements.

Trump arrived in London late on Tuesday evening and said he loved being back in the United Kingdom, calling it a "very special place".

The prospect of a visit to Windsor Castle, the setting for day one of the state visit, seemed to enchant Trump, who described the invitation as "a great, great honour".

"I think that also is why he seems so visibly excited about the second meeting, because it isn’t an invitation given to (just) anyone," said George Gross, an expert on the British monarchy at King's College London.

Pomp and politics

While Britain's royals long ago gave up political power, their history, tradition and celebrity give them a cachet that means presidents and prime ministers covet an invitation to join them.

That makes the invitations, handed out at the request of the elected government, a powerful tool to reward friends and wring concessions out of reluctant allies.

No US president, or any other world leader, has ever had the honour of a second UK state visit and that won’t be lost on a president who often describes his actions with superlatives and has made no secret of his fondness for the British royal family.

Trump is expected to hold talks on Thursday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will tout a new UK-US technology deal.

The UK government hopes the deal and billions in investment from US tech firms, will help show that the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO.

Starmer also hopes to avoid awkward questions about Jeffrey Epstein. Just days before Trump’s state visit, Starmer fired his ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, over the envoy’s past friendship with the convicted sex offender.

On Tuesday, the campaign group Led By Donkeys projected an image of Trump and Epstein on a tower at Windsor Castle, a reminder of the president’s relationship with the disgraced financier.

Police said they arrested four people over the stunt.

Protection from protests

Most state visits are staged in London, against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace and the broad, flag-lined boulevard known as The Mall.

But this one is taking place in the confines of Windsor, a historic town of just over 30,000 people about 40 kilometres west of central London.

That makes it easier to control protests and protect the president at a time of increased international tensions, especially after the fatal shooting of Trump ally Charlie Kirk last week in Utah.

British police have mounted a massive security operation to ensure the president’s safety.

When Trump was in London on his first state visit in 2019, he was met by thousands of protesters who filled the streets outside the Houses of Parliament as a balloon shaped like a giant, nappy-wearing baby Trump floated overhead.

Historian Robert Lacey, a consultant on the Netflix television series "The Crown," said Windsor is also a more "photogenic setting" for a state visit than London.

"Buckingham Palace has got its balcony, it's got its façade," he said. But "inside it's very dreary and it's currently being renovated, which is one reason why Mr. Trump will not be staying there. Windsor is a proper castle."