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Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

With the U.S. reeling in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump headed to the United Kingdom on Tuesday for a long-scheduled state visit.

The president is known to be a huge fan of pomp and pageantry, and Britain is eager to deliver. King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting the Trumps at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, and activities include a horse-drawn carriage procession, military flyovers, and a state banquet. On Thursday, Trump will meet Keir Starmer at the prime minister’s country residence, Chequers. Trump was hosted for a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019, and a second visit is an unusual honor.

British officials are looking to butter up Trump as they deal with the impact of his trade war and issues related to European security. But Trump remains very unpopular in the U.K., and protesters have already marred the visit by projecting images of Trump with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Windsor Castle.

Here’s a roundup, in reverse chronological order, of everything that happened during Trump’s second U.K. state visit.

King Charles made Trump look at his collection of U.S. memorabilia

After Trump and the royals inspected the honor guard in the quad of Windsor Castle, they had a private lunch in the State Dining Room. Then, King Charles escorted the group for a specially curated exhibition of items from the Royal Collection. CNN reports that this included:

A first edition of “The General Historie of Virginia” by John Smith, which is one of the earliest accounts of English colonies in North America …

A letter from 1774 to Lord North from King George III regarding the “state of rebellion” in the American colonies …

A tickertape message from Queen Victoria to President James Buchanan in 1858. Tickertape messages were able to be transmitted after an undersea cable was laid between 1854 and 1858 through a joint venture between US and UK entrepreneurs to speed up communications.

Was Trump into it? You be the judge:

Photo: Aaron Chown/Getty Images

Trump walked in front of King Charles

No U.S. state visit to the U.K. is complete without a debate over whether it’s okay that the president walked ahead of the monarch! (CNN notes the palace said it was not a breach of protocol when Trump did the same thing back in 2019.)

Trump marche devant le roi Charles, rompant ainsi le protocole royal. pic.twitter.com/Fuep7gj3An

— Renard Jean-Michel (@Renardpaty) September 17, 2025

Trump got to ride in a carriage

Ahead of his first state visit to the U.K., Trump reportedly annoyed the Brits by demanding a carriage ride through London, which would have been a massive security undertaking.

This time, Trump’s carriage requirements were satisfied with a procession through the Windsor estate. Trump rode in the Irish State Coach with King Charles, followed by Queen Camilla and First Lady Melania Trump in the Scottish State Coach.

Melania wore an “extraordinarily large” hat

On Wednesday morning, the Trumps arrived at Windsor Castle via helicopter and were greeted by Prince William and Princess Catherine.

The Daily Mail reported that the First Lady “looked effortlessly chic” in a Christian Dior Haute Couture dark-gray skirt, which she paired with “an extraordinarily large wide-brimmed purple wool hat.”

Melania’s headwear is reminiscent of the giant Carmen Sandiego hat she wore to Trump’s second inauguration.

Photo: Ian Vogler/Getty Images

Photos of Trump and Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle

A selection of photos related to Trump’s friendship with the late sex offender were projected onto the castle as he landed in London. Police arrested four people “on suspicion of malicious communications following a public stunt in Windsor.”

Air Force One had a close encounter with a passenger jet

A Spirit Airlines flight traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Boston got too close to the president’s plane as it was en route to London on Tuesday. CBS News reported:

“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right,” an air traffic controller radioed according to recordings from liveatc.net. “Pay attention, Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right. Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right, now. Spirit wings 1300 turn 20 degrees right, immediately.”

Preliminary flight data from flightradar24.com indicates the Spirit Airbus A321 and Air Force One were flying parallel to each other eight miles apart, and were 11 miles apart when they were on the closest path where they could converge.

After the Spirit pilots responded to their warnings, the air-traffic controller chastised them, saying, “Pay attention. Get off the iPad.”

The president and First Lady landed safely at Stansted Airport and spent the night at Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. ambassador in central London.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

This post has been updated.

Trump’s U.K. State Visit: All the Pomp, Protests, and Royal Drama

Trump’s U.K. State Visit: All the Pomp, Protests, and Royal Drama