President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will pay an unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom
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NEED TO KNOW
- Buckingham Palace has announced the dates of President Donald Trump’s state visit to the U.K.
- The statement said that the American president will visit with his wife, First Lady Melania Trump
- The historic state visit will be hosted at Windsor Castle, a departure from the more traditional location at Buckingham Palace
King Charles’ office has unveiled the dates of President Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit to the U.K.
Just after midnight on July 14, local time, Buckingham Palace announced that the American president and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, will pay a state visit to the U.K. from September 17 until September 19.
“The President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by the First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 17 September to 19 September 2025,” the statement said.
“His Majesty The King will host The President and Mrs. Trump at Windsor Castle,” it added.
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The three-day state visit will be the second consecutive state visit hosted at Windsor Castle this year.
Further details about the next state visit are expected to be announced in due course and the diplomatic trip will be the Trumps’ second — and unprecedented — state visit to the U.K.
The upcoming visit is poised to be historic because Trump will be the first elected political leader in modern times to be invited for two state visits by a British monarch. The Republican leader, who served his first term from 2017 to 2021, entered office for his second term on Jan. 20.
The late Queen Elizabeth hosted the U.S. president and his wife for a state visit in June 2019 during his first administration, which included a glamorous state banquet at Buckingham Palace attended by the Queen, then-Prince Charles, the future Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The visit came together following much discussion about timings for the trip due to protest fears, The New York Times reported then.
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King Charles, 76, invited Trump, 79, for a second state visit to the United Kingdom in February. The invitation came through a letter that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer presented to the American president during a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., and Trump accepted the invitation on the spot.
“The answer is yes, on behalf of our wonderful first lady, Melania, and myself, the answer is yes,” Trump said in part then, in a video shared on X. “We look forward to being there and honoring the King, honoring your country. Your country is a fantastic country, and it will be an honor to be there.”
The U.S. president also mentioned that the letter “says at Windsor,” which he said was “really something.”
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In late June, an authoritative report in The Times said the state visit from the U.S. would be held in September.
A formal letter of invitation called a “manu regia,” signed by King Charles, was hand-delivered by British officials to the White House, putting the plans in motion.
“His Majesty has known President Trump for many years and looks forward to hosting him and the First Lady later this year,” a palace aide said.
It was initially thought that a more informal visit would unfold at one of the King’s Scottish homes, possibly during the summer break, with an additional, longer visit to follow.
However, due to both the King’s and the President’s schedules, PEOPLE understands it was not possible to arrange.
President Trump and first lady Melania last crossed paths with Queen Elizabeth, Charles and Camilla at the NATO 70th anniversary reception at Buckingham Palace in December 2019.
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Queen Elizabeth died in September 2022 at age 96, and then-President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, attended her state funeral.
