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| Date | 16 to 18 September 2025 |
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| Time | Arrival: 8:39pmBST (UTC+01:00) Departure: 5:54pmBST (UTC+01:00) |
| Location | London Windsor Chequers |
| Type | State visit |
| Participants | PresidentDonald Trump First LadyMelania Trump |
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Business and personal
45th and 47th President of the United States Tenure
Shutdowns Speeches
Opinion polls Legal affairs
Impeachments   | ||
From 16 to 18 September 2025, thepresident of the United States,Donald Trump, made a state visit to theUnited Kingdom with his wife, thefirst lady of the United States,Melania Trump. He was received byKing Charles III and stayed atWindsor Castle, and later met Prime MinisterKeir Starmer atChequers where they held a joint news conference to discuss a range of topics, including foreign affairs, trade, and immigration.[1] The Trumps had previously met the King (then-Prince of Wales) andQueen Camilla (then-Duchess of Cornwall) atClarence House during theNATO summit in London in December 2019.
This was Trump's second state visit to the United Kingdom, which occurred during hissecond presidency,the first occurring in June 2019 when he was received byQueen Elizabeth II during hisfirst presidency.[1]
Observers noted that Starmer used the state visit to build a warm personal relationship with Trump, with both leaders praising the "special relationship" between the two nations. This was seen by some as a diplomatic strategy to curry favour with Washington and avoid potential diplomatic penalties over policy disagreements.
The state visit was met withprotests, mostly involvingTrump's association with the sex offenderJeffrey Epstein, and the timing coincided with the sacking of former UK ambassador to the US,Peter Mandelson, overhis own association with Epstein. The UK curated Trump's visit to avoid any potentially embarrassing protests.[2]
UK prime ministerKeir Starmer and US presidentDonald Trump held their first Oval Office meeting on 27 February 2025. The meeting marked Starmer's first visit to the White House and took place after Trump's return to office following the2024 presidential election. Starmer hand-delivered a letter fromKing Charles III inviting Trump for a second state visit to the UK. Trump accepted the invitation.[3] Before this meeting, no world leader had more than one official state visit to the UK;[4] US presidents are typically invited for tea with the British monarch if they visit the UK for a second time while in office.[3] Trump's predecessorsGeorge W. Bush andBarack Obama only made a state visit in2003 and2011, respectively, but during the end of their second terms they had tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in 2008 and 2016.[5] It was later announced that the visit would take place from 17 to 19 September 2025.[6]
The state visit took place amid controversy surrounding Trump's social and professionalrelationship with sex offenderJeffrey Epstein, as well asPeter Mandelson's sacking asBritish ambassador to the US due tohis own ties to Epstein. This created a diplomatic predicament for Trump, and his team were reportedly concerned about the timing, as Mandelson's dismissal over his links to Epstein could have shone an unwelcome spotlight on Trump's own past association with him. A source with knowledge of the White House's discussions said that Trump's team was "nervy" about anything that could resurface the Epstein scandal, and they were concerned Mandelson's dismissal would overshadow the UK state visit.The Guardian noted that with Trump having his own well-documented links to Epstein, "there is no subject he wants to revisit less" than the scandal surrounding Mandelson's ties to him. For Trump, whose priority was to avoid distractions during the state visit, the controversy arrived at an "especially awkward" time.[7][8] The UK curated Trump's visit to avoid any potentially embarrassing protests.[2]
Before departing for the UK, Trump told reporters outside the White House that Charles and Camilla were "longtime friends" and praised Charles as "an elegant gentleman".[4]
On arrival atStansted Airport, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were received byWarren Stephens, theUnited States ambassador to the Court of St James's and Britishforeign secretaryYvette Cooper.[9][10][11] They were formally welcomed on behalf of King Charles III by thelord-in-waiting,Henry Hood, 8th Viscount Hood.[9] The President and First Lady flew inMarine One toWinfield House, the official London residence of the U.S. ambassador, located inRegent's Park, where they stayed overnight.[9]
The Trumps, having arrived inMarine One, were greeted byWilliam, Prince of Wales, andCatherine, Princess of Wales, atWindsor Castle before being formally welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.[1][12] A royal salute was fired by Windsor Castle and theTower of London to mark the occasion.[13] The President and First Lady then joined members of the British royal family for lunch at Windsor Castle, after which they were shown a special exhibition in the Green Drawing Room featuring items from theRoyal Collection relating to theUnited States.[14] During the exchange of gifts, the King was presented with the replica of a sword kept in the collection of theDwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library while the Queen received aTiffany & Co. vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch.[15] The director of the library later resigned from his position after refusing to remove the original sword from the collection to be given to the King and he was allegedly told "Resign - or be fired".[15]
President Trump and Melania Trump later laid a wreath on the tomb of the late queenElizabeth II atSt George's Chapel, with President Trump describing the visit to the Chapel as a "great honor."[16] The presidential couple, accompanied by the King and Queen, viewed a specialBeating Retreat military ceremony performed by British and American musicians at Windsor Castle's East Lawn, marking the first time this kind of ceremony was performed at a state visit.[17][9]
On Wednesday evening, a traditional state banquet was held in St George's Hall at the castle, during which both the King and president delivered speeches,[18] with Trump and Charles III each hailing the US–UKSpecial Relationship.[19][20][1] The banquet was attended by 160 guests,[21][22] including Trump's daughterTiffany Trump, members of the Royal Household includingCarlyn Chisholm, Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen andJane von Westenholz, technology titans such asApple CEOTim Cook,OpenAI'sSam Altman,Microsoft'sSatya Nadella, andNvidia'sJensen Huang, media mogulRupert Murdoch, U.S. diplomatsMarco Rubio,Scott Bessent, andSteve Witkoff, and UKConservative Party opposition leaderKemi Badenoch.[23][24]
The president and first lady formally bid farewell to the King and Queen on Thursday morning.[25][26] Trump then travelled to meet theprime minister of the United Kingdom,Keir Starmer, and his wifeVictoria Starmer, atChequers, the country house of the prime minister inBuckinghamshire. The president and the prime minister viewed theWinston Churchill archives at Chequers before their meeting and a joint news conference.[27][1] The first lady joined Queen Camilla on a tour ofQueen Mary's Dolls' House and theRoyal Library at Windsor Castle, before attending a scouting event atFrogmore Gardens with the Princess of Wales.[28][29][30] The princess is the joint president ofThe Scout Association, and with the US first lady, would host the Scouts and share miniature books and leaf printing.[28][30][29][1] The first lady then traveled to Chequers to join her husband before their departure to the United States.[28][31][1]
During their meeting, Trump pledged American investments in the UK worth £150 billion and during their press conference, dubbed the "Tech Prosperity Deal".[32] Trump said the US and UK had an "unbreakable bond", "priceless ties" and were "closer than ever".[27][31]
Starmer said that he and Trump had discussed a resolution of theGaza war: "we are working together to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East".[33] Starmer intended torecognise aPalestinian state after Trump's visit,[34] which Trump did not agree with and called "one of our few disagreements".[35]
After departing Chequers, Trump headed for Air Force One.[31] The flight taxied from Stanstead Airport at 5:50 pm and departed at 5:54BST, marking the end of the visit.[33]
Several days after the state visit was announced,Conservative PartyMember of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Home AffairsAlicia Kearns demanded Prime Minister Starmer cancel the state visit unless the US confirmed its loyalty to its allies.[36] Following theTrump–Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting, Scottish First MinisterJohn Swinney called for Trump's state visit to be cancelled if the U.S. ends support for Ukraine.[37]
The banquet at Windsor Castle was boycotted byEd Davey, theLeader of the Liberal Democrats in protest at Trump's policies toward theGaza Strip andthe ongoing humanitarian crisis there.[3] Davey said that Trump "has the power to stop the horrifying starvation and death in Gaza and get the hostages released" due to his influence over Israel, Qatar and the Gulf states.[3] First Minister of WalesEluned Morgan also declined her invitation to the banquet, with a statement from theWelsh Government stating that she believed it would be better to remain in Wales to support her colleagues following the death ofHefin David.[38] TheDeputy First Minister of Northern Ireland,Emma Little-Pengelly attended the banquet though the First MinisterMichelle O'Neill declined the invitation to attend.[39] The United Kingdom branch ofRepublicans Overseas however, hosted a reception atWindsor Guildhall.[40]
By March 2025, petitions calling for the cancellation of Donald Trump's state visit to the UK had reached 250,000 signatures.[41]
According to a YouGov poll released on 17 September, 45% of Britons thought it was wrong to invite Trump to come for a second state visit, compared to 30% who thought it was the right move.[42]
The UK curated Trump's visit to avoid any potentially embarrassing protests.[2]
On 15 September 2025, members of the UK collectiveEveryone Hates Elon installed a 400-square-metre print of a widely circulated photograph of Trump and Epstein on the lawns of Windsor Castle.[43] On 17 September, journalists were detained for questioning after police confiscated an advertising van associated with the group People vs Elon that was displaying images of Trump and Epstein on the streets of Windsor.[44]
Earlier in September, a major scandal occurred in the UK surrounding formerBritish Ambassador to the USPeter Mandelson's relationship with Epstein, which led to Starmer dismissing him from his diplomatic post.[45] During an 18 September 2025 press conference in the UK, Trump claimed he did not know who Mandelson was, despite having met him multiple times. Trump made the statement when asked byBeth Rigby if he had any sympathy for Mandelson after he was dismissed from his role as ambassador. In response, Trump stated: "I don't know him, actually." He added that it was a choice made by the Prime Minister and suggested Starmer was better placed to speak on the matter.[46]
Despite Trump's claim of not knowing Mandelson, multiple sources and photographic evidence show they have met on several occasions. In May 2025, Mandelson stood with Trump in the Oval Office during the announcement of a US-UK trade framework. Photos captured the two shaking hands and smiling together. According to Mandelson, Trump commented on his "beautiful accent" during one Oval Office meeting. Mandelson also received a signed note from Trump that read, "Peter, great job!".[47][48]
On 16 September, members of theLed By Donkeys protest group, which had also targeted Trump during hislast visit to the UK, projected a nine-minute video discussing Trump and Epstein's relationship from a hotel room opposite Windsor. The video also included a photograph and video clip ofVirginia Giuffre, a widely circulated photograph ofPrince Andrew, Duke of York with Epstein, and photographs of Epstein's accompliceGhislaine Maxwell.[49][50][51] Officers reportedly investigated the projection to "swiftly" stop it. Four individuals were arrested the following day, which according to an official statement byThames Valley Police, was done on the grounds of malicious communications and an "unauthorised projection".[52][53][54][50] They included a 60-year-old fromEast Sussex, a 36-year-old and a 50-year-old fromLondon, and a 37-year-old fromKent. All four were released onconditional bail until 12 December.[55] The investigation concluded, with no further action taken, on 22 October.[56]
According to Led By Donkeys, it was the first time anyone from the group had been arrested for a projection.[51][57] Led by Donkeys later toldThe Guardian that the arrests were "Orwellian" and "ridiculous". They mentioned that they had made between 25 and 30 projections prior to these arrests.[57] They stated in their interview:
“Forgive the cliche, but it is rather Orwellian for a piece of journalism, which raises questions about our guest's relationship with America's most notorious child sex trafficker to lead to arrests.” “We’re constantly told, you know, we need to see peaceful protests. Well, here's a peaceful protest ... We projected a piece of journalism on to a wall and now people have been arrested for malicious communications. I think that, frankly, says a lot more about the policing of Trump's visit than it does about what we did.” “Trump is being welcomed to our country, being given the unique honour of a second state visit, and it's being housed at our expense at Windsor Castle,” they said. “This is like The Emperor's New Clothes – you've got to point at it and say, ‘Hang on. You know, this guy has incredibly close links to America's most notorious child sex trafficker. We probably need to talk about that.’ And so we decided to build a film that would tell that story.”[57]
The morning of 17 September, a van parked outside Windsor Castle displayed an image of Trump and Epstein alongside the text: "Welcome to the UK, Donald."[55]
A "Trump Not Welcome" demonstration was held in London on 17 September by the Stop Trump Coalition.[1] The coalition has accused Trump of "denying climate science" and "siding with war criminals – in Israel, Russia and beyond" and asked the British government to cancel the state visit.[1]
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