Donald Trump was treated to a sumptuous royal state banquet in Windsor Castle on Wednesday, September 17, rounding off the US president's first full day of a historic second state visit to Britain. Before some 160 guests at the start of the lavish event, designed to play into the mercurial American leader's love of pomp and pageantry, King Charles III praised what he called Trump's "personal commitment" to seeking peace.
For his part, Trump described the visit as "one of the highest honors of my life," paying tribute to the transatlantic relationship by calling the UK and the United States "two notes in one chord... each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together."
Trump and his wife Melania's welcome earlier featured gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and a flypast by the Red Arrows as the visit unfolded far from the British public and marching protesters.
The King and Trump laughed and joked as the US leader inspected troops at Windsor, west of London, in an elaborate spectacle featuring a carriage procession. Some 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military – some in red tunics and gold-plumed helmets – feted Trump during a ceremonial guard of honor that UK officials called the largest for a state visit to Britain in living memory.
The president and first lady were greeted on arrival by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife, Catherine, at Windsor after stepping off the Marine One helicopter under gray skies at 12:15 pm (1115 GMT).
Inside a ring of steel and out of sight of thousands of demonstrators shouting anti-Trump slogans in London, William and Catherine then walked Trump and his wife a short distance to meet the waiting Charles and Queen Camilla. A 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six First World War-era guns on the castle's east lawn, as a similar display took place at the Tower of London, in the capital.
The Trumps and the royals were then taken in a black and gold coach, surrounded by cavalry, through the Windsor estate towards the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, where Trump and Charles inspected the guard of honor.
The two also exchanged gifts, with the royals giving Trump a book to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of independence next year, and Trump gifting Charles a replica of a sword owned by President Dwight Eisenhower.
Britain is pulling out all the stops to dazzle the unpredictable Trump as the UK government tries to keep him onside during a host of international crises.
The 79-year-old Republican is, however, being kept far away from the British public as polls indicate he remains unpopular, with the entire visit happening behind closed doors. An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including "Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome."