King Charles has invited Donald Trump for an unprecedented second state visit in September, scheduling the trip for three days when parliament is not sitting and removing the possibility of the US president addressing parliament.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Trump would come to the UK from 17-19 September, soon after the House of Commons rises for its traditional break for the annual party conferences.
The king will host Trump and his wife, Melania, at Windsor Castle, though the palace has not yet set out any other details of the trip.
The visit is a coup for the White House, with Trump becoming the first elected politician in modern history to be granted two state visits, after his earlier one in 2019. The king first suggested the possibility of a second such event in February, delivered in the form of a letter by Keir Starmer during a meeting in the White House.
The dates of the trip, however, avoid the prospect of the US president making an address to parliament.
Other presidents, including Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have made speeches to both houses of parliament, while the French president, Emmanuel Macron, did so last week during his first state visit. A Trump speech was likely to prove controversial, however, with some MPs having urged the House of Commons speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, to refuse the US president the honour.
Last week 15 Labour MPs and five others signed a parliamentary motion calling on the speakers of both houses not to allow Trump to give a speech during the state visit. The MPs, who include Diane Abbott, Kate Osborne and Nadia Whittome, accused the president of “misogyny, racism and xenophobia”, criticising “his previous comments on women, refugees and torture”, as well as his stance on Ukraine.
Peter Mandelson, the US ambassador, told the Sunday Times this weekend he believed Trump should be welcomed warmly on this visit.
“He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it,” he said. “He trusts Keir Starmer. It’s not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don’t think the administration has any problem with that.”
Starmer has forged a productive relationship with Trump since coming to office, persuading the US president to lower tariffs on certain British goods, such as cars and aerospace equipment.
But the prime minster is looking to secure further concessions, especially on steel exports. Steel and aluminium products are covered by the trade deal signed between the two men but are still subject to tariffs while the US administration asks further questions about UK supply chains.
Mandelson told the Sunday Times the “universal 10% tariff” was unlikely to change, but added there was “scope” for negotiations in different sectors and industries, such as technology.
Trump is a known admirer of the royal family, previously posting on his Truth Social platform: “I Love King Charles.” But even with the royal seal of approval and the possibility of a parliamentary address having been averted, the president’s visit provides ample opportunity for controversy.
When he last visited the UK, tens of thousands of people protested against him on the streets of London. Trump responded with a social media tirade against the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, calling the Labour politician a “stone cold loser”.
Trump also earned criticism for appearing to walk in front of the queen in what was interpreted as a breach of royal protocol.