Melania Trump wears Burberry trench as presidential couple departs for UK state visit

First Lady Melania Trump left the White House on Monday wearing a sand-colored Burberry trench coat as she and President Donald Trump boarded Air Force One for a state visit to the United Kingdom.

Photographs from Joint Base Andrews showed Trump cinching the double-breasted trench at the waist, its collar turned up and the garment’s checked lining briefly visible as she walked hand-in-hand with the president. She completed the ensemble with dark sunglasses and knee-high Dior Empreinte riding boots with a gold "CD" clasp at the ankle.

The Trumps are scheduled for a three-day state visit during which King Charles III and Queen Camilla will host events at Windsor Castle while Buckingham Palace undergoes renovation work. British authorities said they would mount one of the country’s largest drone operations since the King’s coronation to help secure Windsor during the couple’s stay.

The outfit marked a notably understated departure look compared with elements of the First Lady’s wardrobe during the Trump administration’s previous UK engagements. On the 2019 state visit, she arrived in a Gucci dress printed with London iconography and later met the late Queen Elizabeth II in a white Dolce & Gabbana midi dress with a wide-brimmed hat. During that visit she also wore a classic trench paired with pumps and a structured handbag and rotated through designers including The Row, Celine and Hermès, along with hats by Irish milliner Philip Treacy.

Melania Trump has on other occasions chosen striking colors for London arrivals, including a red trench and a canary-yellow Valentino cape coat in 2019. For Monday’s departure, the selection of a Burberry trench brought a recognizable British label into the foreground; Burberry is widely associated with the heritage trench coat that has been part of the country’s fashion history for decades.

The visit comes as U.S.-U.K. relations have faced strains in recent months, and a formal state banquet is on the schedule, suggesting further high-profile wardrobe choices are likely during the three-day program. Media outlets and fashion commentators will continue to track the First Lady’s appearances through the visit.