Windsor Castle hosted a night of royal pageantry and political symbolism on Wednesday as King Charles III welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump for his historic second state visit to the UK, calling for renewed transatlantic unity and American support for Ukraine.
At a lavish banquet for 160 guests inside Windsor’s St. George’s Hall, the King praised Trump’s “personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts” and urged continued U.S. backing for Ukraine against “tyranny.”
Trump, in turn, hailed the UK-U.S. alliance, saying the word “special does not begin to do it justice.”
Earlier, Trump and First Lady Melania arrived in ornate carriages, inspected troops on the manicured lawns of Windsor, and met privately with the Prince and Princess of Wales, whom the president called “warm and friendly.” He praised Prince William as “an unbelievable success in the future” and described Princess Catherine as “radiant and so healthy and so beautiful.”
The state visit marked the largest guard of honour ever assembled for a UK state visit, with 1,300 members of the Army, Royal Navy, and RAF taking part — a clear signal of Britain’s desire to maintain close defence ties and encourage Washington’s commitment to NATO.
Thursday’s schedule shifts from ceremonial to political, with Trump set to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers for talks expected to cover Ukraine, NATO, and trade. The visit also coincided with the announcement of £150 billion in new U.S. investment into the UK, including £22 billion from Microsoft.
Guests at the banquet included senior business figures such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, underlining the economic focus of the trip.
Trump laid a wreath at Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb, paid respects to her legacy, and was gifted the flag flown over Buckingham Palace on the day of his 2025 inauguration. He was reportedly captivated by St. George’s Chapel and the Royal Collection’s documents related to U.S. independence, calling them “the real deal.”
Outside Windsor, anti-Trump protesters and the UK anti-monarchy group Republic held demonstrations, though most were kept out of view of the state visitors.
The UK government clearly aimed to use royal diplomacy to reinforce U.S.-UK alignment on global issues — particularly the war in Ukraine — as well as to encourage a strong U.S. stance within NATO.
For Trump, the visit appeared to be a success: he described the state visit as one of the “highest honours” of his life.