Trump’s State Visit to UK Blends Royal Pageantry And Protests

U.S. President Donald Trump is on a state visit to Britain with First Lady Melania Trump. The two were welcomed at Windsor Castle by the royal family yesterday, followed by a state banquet. However, that is not the only welcome he received. 

Shortly before his arrival in Britain, political campaign group ‘Led By Donkeys’ projected images of Trump and convicted  sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto a castle in England. A soundtrack questioning the relationship between the two men played on a speaker.

A rally to protest Trump’s second state visit to the UK, from September 17-19 was also organised by another outfit, the ‘Stop Trump Coalition’. Thousands of people gathered in Parliament Square for a rally against the United States, carrying banners with the words, "no to racism", "no to Trump" and "stop arming Israel". At least 1,600 police officers had been deployed to manage the 5000-strong rally.

A spokesperson for the ‘Stop Trump Coalition’ told BBC: "A government that will bow down to Trump and to racism is one that will open the door to fascism."  

Apart from these, the state visit went on with grandeur and spectacle.  Bilateral ties between the two countries were hailed, with the US President saying "special does not begin to do it justice". King Charles too gave a speech, at an opulent banquet hosting 160 guests in Windsor Castle. 

“The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It’s irreplaceable and unbreakable,” Trump said. “We’ve done more good for humanity than any two countries in all of history together.”

King Charles responded, "Our people have fought and died together for the values we hold dear.” adding that the two countries were working together in support of “crucial diplomatic efforts, not least of which, Mr President, is your own personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts in order to secure peace.”

Trump, a self-styled master peacemaker, was nominated by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Nobel Peace Prize in July, after the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict.

Trump has repeatedly claimed brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan after the two countries engaged in military conflict in  May. Later, Pakistan formally recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his “decisive diplomatic intervention.” India has maintained that peace was reached without the US President's intervention. 

The war has reached the table of discussion in Trump’s UK visit too. King Charles praised Trump’s personal commitment to “finding solutions to some of the world’s most intractable conflicts” and, in his speech at the US state visit banquet, urged American support for Ukraine against “tyranny”.

Alongside this, official gifts were exchanged. Among them was the flag that had flown over Buckingham Palace on the day of Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, presented to the visiting president. Furthermore,  a £150bn of US investment into the United Kingdom was announced, including £22bn from Microsoft.

However, after the royal treatment, flanked with military display, toasts, a gun salute and carriage ride with the King, the President bid an official farewell to the King and had set out to hold meetings with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers Court — the country house of the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The meeting will include discussions on Russia’s war in Ukraine, Israel’s war in Gaza, and trade. Topping up the already heavy topics is the obvious bone of contention. Starmer will be formally recognising Palestine as a state after Trump concludes his state visit to the UK, along with France, Canada and Australia.  According to media reports, the announcement was delayed so as not to overshadow a news conference with Trump at Chequers. 

The Trump administration has opposed the recognition, warning that it would reward Hamas.  “I’m not going to take a position,” Trump said a few months ago. “I don’t mind him taking a position. I’m looking for getting people [in Gaza] fed right now.”