Buckingham Palace has announced that the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, will make a State Visit to the United Kingdom in the first week of June. President Trump, accompanied by the US First Lady Melania Trump, will make their trip between June 3rd and June 5th 2019.
The Queen has formally invited the couple to make a State Visit and the Royal Household confirmed on Tuesday, with a statement and via social media, that the invitation has been accepted.
President Trump is yet to tweet about the upcoming trip. There has, however, been a statement from the White House which said that the President and First Lady had ”accepted the invitation of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II” and added that the trip would ”reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom”.
The visit was widely anticipated as President Trump was already expected to travel to Europe at the start of June to take part in commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy. The White House announcement on the forthcoming trip also stated that President and Mrs Trump would travel to Portsmouth during their stay to attend a ceremony marking the D-Day anniversary.
The full agenda is yet to be revealed but it is expected that, as is usual with State Visits, President and Mrs Trump will be given an official welcome by the Royal Family and leading politicians at Horse Guards Parade. They could also enjoy a carriage ride through London and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace as well as the traditional State Banquet. The White House press release did confirm that the President will hold a meeting with the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, who initially mentioned inviting Mr Trump on a State Visit soon after his inauguration in January 2017, leading to controversy and a petition against the potential trip.
However, it’s not yet clear whether the US President will, like most of those invited to make a State Visit, find himself addressing both Houses of Parliament. When the trip was first mooted, the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, said he would block any opportunity for President Trump to address Parliament in Westminster Hall.
It will be the first US State Visit to the UK since 2011 when President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were hosted at Buckingham Palace by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. In 2003, they welcomed President George W Bush and his wife, Laura, on a State Visit. The Queen has also made four State Visits to the US during her long reign, the first coming in 1957 when President Dwight Eisenhower hosted her and the Duke of Edinburgh. The last UK State Visit to the US was in 2007.
The Queen welcomed President Trump to Windsor Castle in 2018 during his working visit to the UK. During that trip, the US President was accused of breaking protocol after he walked in front of the Queen as he inspected her guards.
Royal Central will bring you the latest details of the State Visit as they come through as well as full coverage of the event when President Trump arrives in the UK on June 3rd 2019.
