Windsor Castle, with its nearly millennium-long history, is once again preparing for a momentous occasion: the return of U.S. President Donald Trump for his unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom. On September 16, 2025, King Charles III will greet President Trump in a spectacle brimming with British pomp, centuries-old traditions, and a distinct diplomatic purpose. This visit, held at Windsor Castle due to ongoing renovations at Buckingham Palace, marks the first time a U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit—a move that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called "truly historic" and "unprecedented," according to Sky News.
The preparations are nothing short of meticulous. Staff at Windsor Castle are setting the legendary 50-meter-long (164-feet-long) mahogany Waterloo Table, which, at about half the length of a football field, can seat 160 guests. It takes five full days to dress the table with the Grand Service—a silver-gilt dining set that includes more than 4,000 pieces, from serving dishes and dinner plates to egg cups. Grooms are busy buffing the hooves of the horses that will pull the royal carriages, ensuring every detail gleams for the big day, as reported by the Associated Press.
Hundreds of military personnel—mounted troops, foot guards, and musicians—have been rehearsing for months to execute the ceremonial drills with precision. When rifles are shouldered, it will come with a single, crisp thwack; when boots hit the ground, they’ll do so in perfect unison. The military band will play “God Save the King” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” note-perfect within the castle’s storied walls, setting the tone for a visit steeped in tradition and symbolism.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are scheduled to arrive late Tuesday, with the core of the visit beginning the next day. The royal welcome will include a carriage ride through the Windsor estate, with King Charles III and Queen Camilla accompanying the Trumps along a path lined by members of the armed forces. Prince William and Princess Catherine will also greet the president, adding another layer of royal gravitas to the occasion—a carriage procession that was notably absent during Trump’s previous visit due to security concerns, as detailed by Sky News.
But this isn’t just a show for show’s sake. As Robert Lacey, royal historian and consultant for Netflix’s “The Crown,” put it to the Associated Press, “We’re buttering up to him. He wouldn’t come to Britain if he wouldn’t have the chance to stay at Windsor Castle, probably pay homage to the (late) queen he admires so much, and to meet the king.” This “tiara diplomacy” is a textbook example of British soft power in action. Three centuries after the monarchy relinquished political authority, the royal family remains a unique instrument for influencing international relations. State visits, in particular, are the monarchy’s ultimate diplomatic tool, with world leaders vying for the full royal treatment.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government is keenly aware of the stakes. Britain is seeking favorable trade terms with the U.S. and hoping for continued support in countering Russian aggression in Ukraine. As Martin Farr, a modern British history expert at Newcastle University, explained to the Associated Press, “A new Trump presidency, a new prime minister, a different government, but the same sense of panic and the same feeling that the biggest lever we can pull with this president is to flatter him and to try and connect him with something he seems genuinely to be impressed by, which is monarchy, and the fact that his mother of course was born in Scotland.”
In February 2025, just five weeks after Trump began his second term, Starmer traveled to Washington and personally delivered the king’s invitation—a first in diplomatic history. Trump, proud of the gesture, displayed the letter for television cameras and remarked, “It’s a great, great honor, and that says at Windsor. That’s really something.”
The ceremonial schedule is as dazzling as it is deliberate. The itinerary includes a military parade, a wreath-laying at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb in St George’s Chapel, a flypast by the Red Arrows and F-35 jets, and, of course, the banquet. The state dinner on September 17 will see men in white ties and tailcoats and women in designer gowns and sparkling jewels. “The tiaras will be out in force,” noted royal historian Hugo Vickers, as quoted by the Associated Press. “It will all look very splendid.”
Beyond the pageantry, the Trumps will view an exhibit highlighting the shared history between Britain and the U.S., with references to the Magna Carta signed in 1215 at nearby Runnymede. The display is intended to underscore the countries’ common legal and democratic traditions, stretching back centuries.
Yet, as much as the event is about forging goodwill, it is also a minefield of royal protocol. The House of Windsor is famous for its etiquette labyrinth, where even seasoned statesmen have stumbled. Trump himself made headlines in 2019 for walking ahead of Queen Elizabeth II, momentarily obscuring her from view—a breach that sparked a flurry of commentary. As Grant Harrold, a former royal butler, explained to Newsweek, even small missteps—like wearing sunglasses during a royal introduction—can raise eyebrows. Still, as Michelle Obama once reflected in her memoir “Becoming,” sometimes the human element trumps protocol: “Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I’d flown to London on the presidential jet: We were just two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes.”
King Charles III, now at the helm, brings his own style to the role—more conversational, perhaps, but no less aware of the stakes. The British press, as reported by Sky News, have dubbed the event a “royal charm offensive” or even a “schmooze fest,” with Lord Simon McDonald, former head of the Diplomatic Service, calling it a “full monty” state banquet to cement Trump’s relationship with the UK. “It’s not just about carriages and tiaras. It’s about the world agenda,” McDonald said.
The political undercurrents are unmistakable. Trump’s America First policies have unsettled longstanding trade and security relationships, and the UK is eager to shore up its own interests. On September 18, Trump and Starmer will meet at Chequers, the prime minister’s country estate, for discussions that could shape the next chapter of UK-U.S. relations—particularly on trade and Ukraine.
For all the grandeur, there’s an awareness that state visits are as much about substance as spectacle. “Keir Starmer has, cleverly in a way, used the king to lure President Trump over here, to give him a very good time,” Vickers observed. “And (it’s) a wonderful opportunity, with all the goodwill that will be engaged at this point, to talk to him … and if there’s any hope of sorting out Ukraine, etc. This is all a step in the right direction.”
As Windsor’s halls echo with the sounds of rehearsals and the glint of polished silver, the world will be watching—not just for the glitter and the protocol pitfalls, but for the diplomatic signals that could ripple far beyond the banquet hall.