Donald Trump hailed the ‘great honour’ of being hosted by his ‘friend’ the King at ‘the ultimate’ Windsor CastleChris Ballinger Head of Content, Sophie Wingate Laura Elston and David Lynch and PA
17:01, 16 Sep 2025
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William will meet Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the grounds of the Windsor estate on Wednesday (September 17) (Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
The Prince and Princess of Wales will play a key role in entertaining Donald Trump during his second state visit but Kate Middleton is yet to confirm whether she will be at an important meal. William and Kate will greet Trump, who is known for his love of the Royal family, and First Lady Melania Trump when they arrive in the grounds of the Windsor estate on Wednesday (September 17) and escort them a short distance to see the King and Queen for an open air greeting nearby.
The proceedings are aimed at extending a personal, family-centred welcome to the Trumps ahead of the official ceremony in the castle quadrangle after a carriage ride through private Home Park. The princess will also, in a rare move, carry out a joint engagement with Mrs Trump on Thursday in Frogmore Gardens where they will meet Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme as they learn about nature to achieve their Go Wild badge.
It has not yet been confirmed whether Kate, who announced at the start of the year that she was in remission from cancer, will attend the state banquet on Wednesday evening. But it is likely she will be present at the opulent dinner during the diplomatically high-stakes visit, having done so for French President Emmanuel Macron in July.
U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured with First Lady Melania Trump en route to London, said staying at Windsor Castle is the ‘ultimate’ honour(Image: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images))
Trump hailed the “great honour” of being hosted by his “friend” the King at “the ultimate” Windsor Castle for his second state visit. The US president said he is “into helping” Britain on fine-tuning the UK-US trade deal, as the Government seeks to eliminate tariffs on British steel imports to the US.
He was speaking before taking off on Air Force One, and is expected to land in the UK on Tuesday evening. It is speculated Mr Trump will stay overnight at the US ambassador’s residence in London before travelling to Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where he will be treated to a ceremonial welcome and a lavish state banquet.
Asked what he hoped to achieve during the visit, Mr Trump told reporters: “My relationship is very good with the UK, and Charles, as you know, who’s now King, is my friend. It’s the first time this has ever happened where somebody was honoured twice. So, it’s a great honour.
“And this one’s at Windsor. They’ve never used Windsor Castle for this before. They use Buckingham Palace. And I don’t want to say one’s better than the other, but they say Windsor Castle is the ultimate, right? So it’s going to be nice.”
He continued: “Primarily it’s to be with Prince Charles and Camilla. They’re friends of mine for a long time, long before he was King, and it’s an honour to have this King. And, you know, I think he represents the country so well. He’s such an elegant gentleman and he represents the country so well.”
Police officers patrol outside Windsor Castle ahead of President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK which begins tomorrow(Image: Jonathan Brady/PA)
The Queen meanwhile was resting at Windsor Castle, having pulled out of attending the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday after suffering from acute sinusitis. Camilla’s illness has raised questions over what part she will be able to play in Mr Trump’s high-stakes visit, but she is said to be hopeful she will recover in time to attend the busy run of royal events including the glittering banquet.
The trip is Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK – an unprecedented gesture for a US president – with his last one six years ago in 2019 seeing thousands of people turn out on the streets in London in opposition and a 20 foot Trump baby blimp take to the skies.
Police plans to ensure Mr Trump, who will travel with his own security detail of Secret Service agents, is kept safe are under daily review amid the very high threat level and against the backdrop of the assassination of his ally Charlie Kirk.
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