Palace Reveals Details of Trump's Unprecedented Second State Visit, Featuring Bespoke Military Displays at Windsor

London – Buckingham Palace has unveiled the itinerary for Donald Trump's unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom, a tightly controlled two-day affair that will see the US president hosted entirely within the private confines of the Windsor estate, away from public view.

The visit, scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday, will blend traditional royal pageantry with unique military honours never before deployed for a state visit. Mr. Trump will be treated to a flypast by the Red Arrows alongside UK and US F-35 military jets over Windsor Castle, as well as a special Beating Retreat ceremony.

The high-profile visit is set against a backdrop of heightened security, with the Stop Trump Coalition planning mass protests in both Windsor and London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will play a central role in welcoming the president and first lady, Melania Trump. The couple will greet the Trumps in the grounds of the Windsor estate on the morning of Wednesday, 17th September, before escorting them to meet the King and Queen for a formal open-air greeting.

A grand carriage procession will follow, but in a significant departure from tradition, it will remain within the estate's private grounds. The Trumps, accompanied by the King, Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, will ride in carriages escorted by the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment. Unlike French President Emmanuel Macron's recent state visit, there will be no public carriage ride through the town of Windsor.

The first day's schedule includes a ceremonial welcome with a guard of honour in the castle's quadrangle, a private lunch with the royal family, and a viewing of a special exhibition from the Royal Collection. Later in the afternoon, the president and his wife will visit St George's Chapel privately to lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II.

The day will culminate in an opulent state banquet in St George's Hall, where both the King and President Trump are expected to deliver speeches.

On the second day, Thursday, 18th September, Mr. Trump will formally bid farewell to the King and Queen before travelling to Chequers, the prime minister's official country residence. There, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. His arrival will be marked by a guard of honour from RAF Halton and bagpipers. The two leaders will view the Sir Winston Churchill archives held at the residence before joining a business reception and holding a joint press conference.

While the president is engaged in political talks, First Lady Melania Trump will remain at Windsor for engagements with the Queen and the Princess of Wales. She will tour Queen Mary's Doll's House and the Royal Library with the Queen, before joining the Princess of Wales in Frogmore Gardens to meet with members of the Scouts' Squirrels programme.

The itinerary confirms several notable omissions. The US president will not visit Parliament, as the House of Commons will be in recess for party conference season, nor will he make the traditional trip to lay a wreath on the grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in London.

The visit has been slightly shortened from its original three-day plan to accommodate Mr. Trump's schedule. The presidential couple will arrive in the UK on Tuesday, 16 September, and depart on the evening of Thursday, 18th September.