President Trump kicks off state visit to U.K. amid protests

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales on Wednesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to Windsor Castle for the first full day of their visit. The welcome ceremony included about 1,300 members of the British Armed Forces, horses, and a joint U.S.-U.K. military flyover. The Trumps arrived in London Tuesday night for a two-day visit that will include meetings with royals, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and a formal state banquet. British monarchs typically only host one or two state visits each year during which the royal family honors a foreign head of state with ceremonies, tours, dinners, and meetings with politicians. Trump is the first foreign elected leader to be invited for two state visits after former Queen Elizabeth II hosted him in 2019.

What else is happening in Britain surrounding the visit? Starmer and Trump were scheduled on Thursday to discuss trade between the countries. Days before Trump’s arrival, Starmer fired his ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, over his alleged links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The prime minister removed the ambassador from his position after newly published emails Mandelson sent to Epstein showed he supported the financier and called him a friend. Starmer maintained that he did not know about Mandelson’s connection to Epstein before he appointed him in December.

Meanwhile, protesters in London on Tuesday night projected a picture of Trump with Epstein on the walls of Windsor Castle. They also unrolled a banner of the picture on the castle property before police arrested members of the activist group Everyone Hates Elon. Other demonstrators gathered in London on Wednesday to protest Trump’s visit and his policies. 

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s report about Mandelson being fired.