Buckingham Palace issues new update on Trump state visit

Buckingham Palace has issued an update on Donald Trump's state visit to Britain. The US President and First Lady, Melania Trump, have officially accepted King Charles's invitation to the UK and the state visit will be from September 17-19, according to the palace.

The monarch will host the Trumps at Windsor Castle, as King Charles did during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit last week. It will be Mr Trump's second state visit to the UK, in what is an unprecedented gesture towards a US leader. Mr Trump paid a state visit to Britain in 2019.

Unlike Mr Macron, the US president won't be able to address the House of Commons as it will not be sitting when Mr Trump visits. It will be in recess for the party conference season. The House of Lords will still be sitting though.

Further details of Mr Trump's second state visit come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with a letter of invitation from the King during a meeting at the White House.

As the pair sat next to each other in the Oval Office, Sir Keir handed the president the personal invitation, saying later that "this is truly historic and unprecedented".

After reading the letter, Mr Trump said it was a "great, great honour", adding "and that says at Windsor - that's really something".

Charles suggested in the letter that he and Mr Trump might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland before the much grander state visit.

It is understood that despite all options being explored there were logistical challenges surrounding an informal visit as well as difficulties in aligning both the King and Mr Trump's diaries.

A senior Police Scotland officer said last week that the cost of policing a separate trip by Mr Trump to Scotland would be "considerable" and the force was looking to secure extra funding.

It emerged on Wednesday that the force was in the early stages of planning for the visit, which is likely to see Mr Trump visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire.

Precedent for second-term US presidents who have already made a state visit to Britain is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle. This was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.

The late Queen Elizabeth II hosted Mr and Mrs Trump during their first state visit. Mr Trump received a ceremonial welcome held in the garden of Buckingham Palace which was attended by the late Queen, King Charles, then Prince Charles, and Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall. Prince Harry joined the group for a private lunch at the palace after the welcome.

The Trumps then visited Westminster Abbey before tea with Charles and Camilla at Clarence House. There was then a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, before Mr Trump and then prime minister, Theresa May, hosted the president at a business breakfast attended by Prince Andrew.

Talks with Mrs May in Downing Street then followed before a joint press conference with the two leaders. Just days after that first visit, Mrs May stepped down as PM.