The US President and First Lady sat down with the Royal Family and guests for a state banquet on Wednesday, drawing a day of pomp and pageantry to a close.
King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted US President Donald Trump and his wife at Windsor Castle as part of the first full day of his unprecedented second state visit.
Trump and the First Lady, Melania, were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales before meeting the King and Queen, after arriving on the helicopter Marine One around midday on Wednesday.
As the Trumps met the Royals, a 41-round gun salute was fired from six First World War-era guns by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, while the Honourable Artillery Company staged a simultaneous salute more than 20 miles away at the Tower of London.
Queen Camilla’s attendance had been in doubt following her absence from the Duchess of Kent’s funeral on Tuesday while she recovered from acute sinusitis.
The Trumps, along with the royals, then proceeded by carriage through the Windsor estate, accompanied by music from the Royal Marines, Army and RAF bands.
After renditions of both national anthems, the King and President inspected the Guard of Honour, followed by a military Rank and March Past featuring the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, the Household Cavalry and the Foot Guards.
With over 1,300 members of the British military involved, the Ministry of Defence said it was the largest guard of honour ever at a state visit to the UK.
During the inspection, Trump appeared to break royal protocol once again by walking ahead of the monarch, forcing the King to trail behind, a repeat of his 2018 misstep with the late Queen.
Royal etiquette dictates that the sovereign is supposed to lead the way.
As tradition dictates, official state visits include an exchange of gifts between dignitaries, and the Trumps’ visit with the royal family was no exception.
The King and Queen presented Trump with a leather-bound volume crafted by the Royal Bindery at Windsor Castle, along with the Union Flag that flew above Buckingham Palace on the day of his inauguration.
Melania Trump received a personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag and a silver and enamel bowl by Northern Irish artist Cara Murphy.
In return, the King was gifted a replica of President Eisenhower’s sword, while the Queen received a Tiffany & Co. vintage 18K gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch.
The state banquet
The evening was marked by a glittering state banquet, where 160 guests dined alongside the King and US president.
One notable guest was media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who is being sued by Trump over a report linking the president to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The 94-year-old has also had a difficult relationship with the Royal Family in recent times.
Earlier this year, the Duke of Sussex received an "unequivocal apology" and settlement from his News Group Newspapers (NGN) after "serious intrusion" by The Sun, including unlawful activities by private investigators working for the paper.
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