King Charles welcomes US President
US president Donald Trump began his second state visit to the UK on Wednesday, arriving in London to a programme mixing royal ceremony with high-stakes diplomacy.
He and First Lady Melania Trump travelled from the US ambassador’s residence to Windsor Castle for a meeting with King Charles and Queen Camilla, followed by a wreath-laying at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II. The visit includes a military parade, a fly-past of UK and US F-35 jets, and a state banquet bringing together political leaders and business executives from both sides of the Atlantic.
Business pledges and tax questions
The trip has already produced headline investment promises, with Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI pledging to spend tens of billions of pounds on computing infrastructure in Britain. Ministers hailed the deals as a boost for UK ambitions in artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and financial services.
However, technology secretary Liz Kendall confirmed that the UK’s digital services tax – a 2% levy on revenues of major firms such as Alphabet, Meta and Amazon – was not part of the agreements. Trump has long criticised the tax as unfairly targeting US companies, but Kendall said any decisions would be for the November Budget.
Tensions over global conflicts
The backdrop to Trump’s arrival is overshadowed by wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Israel’s expanded offensive in Gaza City has heightened pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to raise humanitarian concerns with Trump. The president criticised Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar earlier this month but has not opposed its military escalation.
On Ukraine, Trump has pushed Nato and G7 allies to impose steep tariffs on Chinese and Indian imports in response to their purchases of Russian oil. While Starmer has welcomed his attempts to mediate a settlement, the tariff demand has raised fears of wider trade disruption.
Epstein scandal resurfaces
The visit has also been clouded by controversy after the resignation of Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK’s ambassador to Washington, over renewed scrutiny of his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday night, campaign group Led By Donkeys projected images of Trump with Epstein on to Windsor Castle. Police called the stunt an “unauthorised activity” and arrested four people on suspicion of malicious communications.
Symbolism and strategy
For both governments, the state visit is a chance to underline the strength of the “special relationship” and pursue closer economic cooperation. Yet the combination of domestic political scandal, public protest and deepening international crises ensures Trump’s visit will be closely scrutinised for both its symbolism and substance.
