US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, began a state visit to the UK. The couple landed by helicopter on the lawn near Windsor Castle, where they were first met by the Prince and Princess of Wales – William and Catherine.
Kate Middleton, 43, wore a burgundy Emilia Wickstead dress and a matching Jane Taylor hat for the meeting. Melania Trump, 55, appeared before the royal family in a black fitted jacket with a pencil skirt from Dior and complemented the look with a purple hat.
Later, the American guests were welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. After the official ceremony, a military parade was held with the participation of aviation, including F-35 fighters. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also joined the event.
During the meeting, the parties exchanged symbolic gifts. Charles III presented Trump with a leather-bound book commemorating the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence and the flag that flew over Buckingham Palace on the day of his second inauguration. For Melania Trump, the royal couple chose a silver bowl by Northern Irish artist Kara Murphy and a designer handbag by Annie Hindmarch.
In return, the US president gave the king a replica of Dwight Eisenhower’s sword, a symbol of the unity of the US and Britain in World War II, and Camilla a flower brooch from Tiffany, encrusted with diamonds and rubies. After the ceremony, Trump and Charles III took a walk around the castle grounds in a horse-drawn carriage, while Melania and Camilla rode in separate ones.
In the evening, a ceremonial reception was held in honor of the American leader. Queen Camilla chose a Fiona Clare dress in a rich blue with stone embroidery for the banquet, which she complemented with a tiara with Belgian sapphires and Cartier jewelry.
By the way, Melania Trump wore a long straight-cut dress in bright yellow with open shoulders by Carolina Herrera. A wide beige belt decorated her waist. The first lady refused a necklace, but she complemented the look with earrings with green gemstones.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine, impressed guests with a cream couture dress, combining it with her favorite tiara – a piece of jewelry that belonged to Princess Diana. The tiara, made by the House of Garrard in 1913, consists of diamonds and 19 pendant pearls, set in silver and gold.
The banquet was attended by the heads of the world’s largest companies: Tim Cook (Apple), Demis Hassabis (Google DeepMind), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Pascal Sorio (AstraZeneca). Tech giants Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, and OpenAI have already promised to invest 31 billion pounds ($42 billion) in British projects related to the development of artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and civil nuclear energy.
As the BBC notes, Trump became the first US president to make a state visit to the UK twice. He first arrived in this capacity in 2019, when he was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II.
