On Tuesday, Donald and Melania Trump’s state visit to the UK will begin. I wonder if Ol’ Droopyface will even make it the full three days. It should be interesting to see how “sundowning plus jetlag” plays out as well. Last week, we heard about the Princess of Wales being tasked with a stand-alone event with Melania – they will visit a Scouts troop on Thursday, in what should be one of the funniest photo-ops of the year. As I’ve read through the planned itinerary of the Trump state visit, I noticed a real absence: Prince William wasn’t tasked with anything in particular. Well, that’s not what Vanity Fair says. They claim that William and Kate “will play a major role” in the visit. Okay, describe the major role?
Prince William and Kate Middleton are set to play a major role in the impending US state visit to Britain, which will see Donald Trump and Melania stay at Windsor Castle from September 17 to 18—and include a joint engagement for the first lady and the Princess of Wales with the Scouts at Frogmore Gardens.
The Trumps are slated to arrive at Windsor Castle on the morning of the 17th, where they will be officially greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The quartet will then meet King Charles and Queen Camilla, who will receive the Trumps for a Royal Salute, fired from the East Lawn of Windsor Castle at the same time as a salute from the Tower of London. Their Majesties, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the President and First Lady will then make a carriage procession through the Windsor estate towards the Castle, which was also the site for French president Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain this summer.
Both nations’ anthems will play as the Procession moves off. In a historical move, a Guard of Honour will be presented at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, featuring the State Colours of the Grenadier Guards, the Coldstream Guards, and the Scots Guards. This will mark the first time that such an occasion will feature three State Colours—typically, just one would be showcased at the parade. The President and the King will then inspect the Guard of Honour, followed by a Rank and March past The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards.
Then, lunch will commence in the State Dining Room, with various members of the Royal family. The party will attend a special display of America-related items from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room. In a solemn moment, later that afternoon Trump is set to privately pay homage to the late Queen Elizabeth—whom he has previously described as a “grand and beautiful lady”—by laying a wreath on her tomb at St George’s Chapel.
King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Trumps will then be joined by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lady Starmer for a Beating Retreat ceremony on Windsor’s East Lawn, featuring a flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows. The visit will culminate in a state banquet at the Castle—and if the French state visit was anything to go by, it will be a dazzling display of tiaras and royal jewels for Middleton and Queen Camilla. Both the King and President Trump will deliver speeches at the beginning of the dinner.
On Thursday, Trump will say farewell to Their Majesties, before traveling to Chequers to reunite with the Starmers. The group will visit the Winston Churchill archives and host several meetings. Meanwhile, Melania Trump will join the Princess of Wales at Frogmore Gardens, where the pair will meet with Chief Scout, Dwayne Fields, and the members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program to learn more about nature. Middleton has served as Joint President of the Scout Association since 2020, and memorably spoke of her love for nature in a short video with Fields earlier this year. The First Lady will then return to Chequers to join President Trump, and the pair will depart the UK that evening.
Again, what are the “major roles” for Will and Kate? It sounds like Kate actually has more to do, considering she has a stand-alone event with the FLOTUS. It also sounds like the Windsors are just doing a copy+paste from the Macrons’ visit. Almost everything is the same!! The only differences: Kate didn’t have an event with Brigitte Macron, and the Trumps are getting a much shorter and more localized carriage ride. William’s “major role” is greeting the Trumps on the tarmac and… attending the state dinner, basically. Once again, it’s worth pointing out that King Charles did so, so much more as PoW, especially for state visits. While Charles might be miffed at William’s laziness, I also think Charles knows well enough that William can’t be trusted on sensitive diplomacy though. Which is why Peggy is little more than an afterthought in state visits.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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