On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump arrived in the UK for an unprecedented second state visit. Trump, who is accompanied by his wife Melania, will stay with the King and Queen at Windsor Castle, and will remain in the UK until Thursday night.
The president was hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2019.
A state visit is a formal trip to the UK by the head of a country. They are usually arranged at the invitation of the monarch, acting on government advice.
As well as being grand occasions with lots of pageantry, governments use the visits to further Britain’s interests.
Traditionally, US presidents serving a second term - such as Trump - are not offered a state visit. Instead, they are invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, as happened with former presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush.
However, in February Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump an invitation from King Charles during a White House meeting to discuss a UK-US trade deal. Sir Keir said the invite was “truly historic” and “unprecedented”.
At the time, Trump said it was a “great, great honour”.
Tuesday
When they landed at Stansted airport on Tuesday evening, the Trumps were met by the US Ambassador Warren Stephens and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
The Viscount Hood, Lord-in-Waiting, welcomed them on behalf of the King.
Arriving in the UK, the president said: “I have a lot of things here that warm my heart. I want to tell you. It’s a very special place.”
The couple spent the night at the US ambassador’s residence, Winfield House, in central London.
Wednesday
The president and Mrs Trump will travel to Windsor Castle where they will be greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales, before being formally welcomed by the King and Queen.
A royal salute will be fired in Windsor and at the Tower of London.
Following lunch with members of the Royal Family, the president will visit St George’s Chapel in Windsor to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.
Later, there will be a flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows.
On Wednesday evening, a traditional state banquet will be held at the castle, during which both the King and president will deliver speeches.
