Trump's Second State Visit to the UK Is 'Unprecedented'

September visit is seen as an overture from the prime minister
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 14, 2025 5:13 AM CDT
Trump Is Going to the UK Again. That's 'Unprecedented'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, hands an invitation from King Charles III for a second state visit to President Donald Trump at the White House, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington.   (Carl Court/Pool via AP, File)

President Trump will make an unprecedented second state visit to the UK between Sept. 17 and 19 when he will be hosted by King Charles II and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Trump, who is a big supporter of the royal family, particularly of the monarch, will be accompanied by his wife, Melania Trump, during the three-day visit, the AP reports. No US president has been invited for a second state visit. Trump previously enjoyed the pomp and pageantry of the state visit in 2019 during his first term when he was hosted by Charles' late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The invitation for the second state visit from the king was hand-delivered by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February during a meeting at the White House. After reading it, Trump said it was a "great, great honor" and appeared particularly pleased by the fact he will be staying at Windsor Castle, to the west of the capital. "That's really something," he said. Precedent for second-term US presidents who have already made a state visit is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

State visits are ceremonial meetings between heads of state that are used to honor friendly nations and sometimes smooth relations between rivals. While the king formally issues the invitation for a state visit, he does so on the advice of the elected government. The visit is seen as part of Starmer's effort to keep Trump close and lessen the impact of some of his polices on the UK. The relationship between the two appears amicable, and has helped the UK from facing the sort of hefty US tariffs that other nations are seeing.

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