King Charles and senior royals welcome President Trump as second state visit begins at Windsor

King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at Windsor Castle on Wednesday as the US president's historic second state visit to the United Kingdom began with an unprecedented military welcome.

Prince William and the Princess of Wales, Catherine, met the Trumps in the walled garden at Frogmore before walking a short distance to join the monarch and his wife outside Victoria House to launch the formal proceedings. The arrival was marginally behind schedule; Marine One touched down on the lawn shortly after midday and the King and Queen followed in the state Bentley.

The opening ceremony included a 41-round gun salute fired by The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery on the castle's East Lawn and a simultaneous salute by the Honourable Artillery Company at the Tower of London. Around 120 horses and 1,300 service personnel from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are taking part — a scale organisers called the largest military ceremonial welcome for a state visit to the UK in living memory. The Massed Band of the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards performed the national anthems during the guard of honour inspection, which the King accompanied.

After the inspection the royal party and the Trumps will join a private display of items from the Royal Collection relevant to the United States in the Green Drawing Room. In a private visit the couple is due to lay a wreath at the late Queen Elizabeth II's tomb in St George's Chapel, followed by a short tour and a performance by the chapel choir.

Later events planned for the day include a Beating Retreat ceremony by 200 military musicians on the East Lawn at 4:20 p.m., a combined flypast at 4:45 p.m. featuring the Red Arrows and four F-35 jets from UK and US squadrons, and a white-tie state banquet in St George's Hall at 8:30 p.m. The flypast will include two UK F-35Bs from 207 Squadron and two US F-35As from the 493rd Fighter Squadron — the first time jets from both nations have flown together for a state visit, the Ministry of Defence said.

The carriage procession from the walled garden into Windsor Castle passed along a route lined by service personnel and military bands. The Irish State Coach carried the King and President Trump, followed by the Scottish State Coach with Queen Camilla and the First Lady. Prince William and the Princess of Wales rode in the Semi-State Landau.

The state banquet will host about 160 guests. Royal household staff and the King inspected the table settings in advance; preparations for such banquets typically begin months earlier and involve strict protocols on seating, service and table layout. Both the King and President were expected to make speeches and propose toasts during the evening.

Security across Windsor and central London was heightened for the visit. Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police said they had mounted a "significant operation," deploying more than 1,600 officers, including 500 from other forces, and erecting temporary fencing on approaches to the castle. Two people were escorted from a private event in Windsor on Tuesday and no arrests were made in that incident. Police said they had arrested four people on suspicion of malicious communications after images of President Trump and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle, and detained two men for alleged breaches of airspace restrictions.

The visit has prompted organised protests. Campaign groups and several hundred demonstrators gathered in Windsor and planned marches in central London, with as many as 50 groups expected to take part. Political figures, including the Green Party's Zack Polanski, announced plans to join protests in Parliament Square. Some politicians and members of the public have also voiced support for the visit; supporters gathered outside Windsor wearing US flags and campaign paraphernalia.

The build-up to the state visit has included diplomatic and economic announcements. Downing Street and the White House unveiled a "tech prosperity" agreement aimed at deeper cooperation on artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear power, alongside announcements of tens of billions of pounds in private tech investment in the UK. The package cited roughly £31 billion in commitments from US technology companies, including a headline £22 billion investment from Microsoft to expand AI infrastructure and construct a new AI supercomputer in Britain, and other pledges from Google, Salesforce, CoreWeave and OpenAI partnerships.

Mr Trump is due to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers on Thursday; the itinerary for that day also includes military displays and other ceremonial elements at the prime minister's country residence. There are no public-facing events for the president during the two-day visit, British officials said.

Some expected attendees at the banquet were absent for personal or political reasons. The Duke of York, who previously attended a state visit banquet in 2019, is not taking part after stepping down from public royal duties in recent years. Lord Mandelson, who had been nominated as UK ambassador to the US, was removed from the post in the run-up to the visit after the government said messages he sent regarding Jeffrey Epstein had been brought to light. Opposition figures including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey announced a boycott of the banquet in protest at Mr Trump's position on Gaza.

Organisers stressed strict protocols and rehearsals for the ceremonies. Lieutenant Colonel Storm Green, commanding the guard of honour, said there were "nerves" before the formal commands but emphasised the level of preparation involved. The royal household said seasonal produce from royal estates would feature on the banquet menu and that arrangements would include traditions such as the pipers from the Scots Guards performing at the close of the meal.

The state visit marks another prominent chapter in the long-standing UK–US relationship and comes amid efforts by both governments to cement trade and technology ties. Officials said elements of the visit were intended to showcase that relationship while managing strong public reaction on the streets and across political life in Britain.