King Charles hails US-UK bond at Windsor state banquet for Trump
The monarch touts a decades-long partnership as Trump visits Britain for a second state engagement; flypast and Beating Retreat mark the ceremonial close amid protests.
King Charles III hosted a lavish state banquet at Windsor Castle to welcome United States President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and members of their delegation, including Tiffany Trump and her husband Michael Boulos. The event, part of Trump’s second state visit to Britain, brought together the royal household, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other senior royals for a ceremony designed to underscore the enduring transatlantic alliance. In a speech that emphasized shared values and a long history of collaboration across science, defense, security, and culture, the king framed the relationship as deep and enduring, noting that despite the ocean between the nations, Britain and the United States are among the closest of partners. He also touched on a historical anecdote about an old proposal involving a presidential family, delivered in a light moment that drew smiles from the room.
Trump’s appearance at Windsor followed his earlier trip to St George’s Chapel, where he laid a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. The guest list for the banquet included Trump and Melania, Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos, as well as members of the royal family and senior British officials. Among the celebrities and business leaders in attendance were Apple chief Tim Cook and OpenAI chief Sam Altman, along with peers from the tech, defense, and financial sectors. The seating arrangement placed Trump beside King Charles III and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, with Camilla, Queen Consort, nearby. The event also featured other senior royals, including the Duchess of Gloucester and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The scale of the staging was evident in the setting: a 42.32-meter-long table stretched the length of St George’s Hall, laid for 160 guests. The room was lit by 139 candles and set with 1,452 pieces of cutlery, with staff polishing and arranging the service in the days leading up to the dinner. Floral displays drew on blooms from a local estate, creating a restrained yet lush backdrop for the ceremony. The meal highlighted British produce, featuring Hampshire watercress panna cotta, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine, and a vanilla ice bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior. The wine service included a vintage port dating to 1945—the closest year to the President’s birth—and a 1912 cognac, both selected to mark the occasion and its historical resonance. The chairs and settings were meticulously arranged to accommodate each guest, with five glasses per person and a long, ceremonial rhythm that matched the formality of the moment. Protests outside Windsor Castle drew attention ahead of the banquet, with demonstrators and opposition figures expressing a range of views about the visit. Police maintained security, and officials reported no arrests in connection with the protests, though a van bearing imagery linked to Mr. Trump prompted a police response.
The Beating Retreat ceremony, which followed the dinner, served as the formal close to the day’s official programme. King Charles and Trump stood on a stage with Queen Camilla and Melania Trump as around 200 military musicians performed on the East Lawn. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among the onlookers in the crowd. A joint flypast by RAF and U.S. jets had been anticipated as a symbol of the enduring security alliance, but cloudy skies led organizers to cancel the planned display. Instead, the Red Arrows performed, their signature red, white and blue trails marking the Windsor skyline as the ceremony concluded. The Beating Retreat underscored the ceremonial depth of the visit and the markedly close defence and security ties between the two nations.
Outside the formal programme, the day’s events and surrounding security drew commentary and attention. Trump had previously spent a moment at Windsor’s surroundings, and his arrival coincided with ongoing demonstrations in London and outside Parliament, including a high-profile protest at Windsor Castle that drew coverage from journalists and observers. Jeremy Corbyn, addressing protesters, praised peaceful demonstrators but warned against the potential chilling effects of heavy-handed responses. Thames Valley Police reported that four people were detained on suspicion of malicious communications in connection with a separate incident, though authorities later said no arrests had been made related to the day’s main event. The Trump visit is part of a broader diplomatic effort that intersects with political tensions in the U.K. and the United States, illustrating how ceremonial diplomacy sits alongside contemporary political discourse.
As the day concluded, the royal household signaled the continuation of Trump’s visit with a schedule of subsequent engagements in and around London and Windsor, underscoring the long-standing and evolving relationship between the two nations. The Windsor gathering, marked by ceremonial pageantry, historical references, and a practical demonstration of alliance through military and cultural exchange, reflected the central theme of a dynamic, cooperative transatlantic partnership that remains a focal point of British foreign policy and U.S. diplomacy.
