President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at Buckingham Palace Monday just after noon, local time, to meet Queen Elizabeth II and be treated to the kind of royal pomp-and-ceremony the president loves receiving and the British love staging.
Kicking off Monday's visit, the Trumps arrived by helicopter, which touched down in the gardens of the palace.
The queen greeted President Trump after he ascended the palace stairs with Prince Charles at the West Terrace of Buckingham Palace. Melania walked behind with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The queen wore a big smile as she greeted the president with a handshake, wearing a mint suit and matching hat. She then acknowledged Melania, and the three royals walked inside with the president and first lady.
For the occasion, Trump wore a navy suit with a bright periwinkle blue tie. His wife twinned with the duchess – both wore white. Mrs. Trump wore a knee-length dress with a contrasting navy collar, belt and shoes that coordinated with her wide-brimmed hat.
More: What to expect during Queen Elizabeth's visit with the Trumps
When the fivesome returned outside, they took in a performance of "The Star Spangled Banner," the Trumps with hands over their hearts.
Trump, accompanied by Prince Charles, then inspected the guard of honor, as he did with the queen in 2018.
Following a private lunch with the matriarch the queen led the Trumps in a review of the collection of royal gifts in a floral frock. Prince Harry was present as were Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, both who serve as advisers to the president.
Earlier, the two were spotted by photographers gazing out the window of the palace.
The three-day state visit is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. It is the second meeting between Queen Elizabeth and President Trump.
As she has done for hundreds of foreign visitors, including former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in 2011, the 93-year-old monarch will put on an impressive show, deviating slightly from a pattern set down during her 67 years on the throne.
More: Trump's U.K. visit: What you need to know, from royal ceremony to protests in London
According to Buckingham Palace, Trump also will meet for a chat with her son, the environmentalist Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. Also, he will meet her grandson, Prince William, and his wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, but possibly not new parents Prince Harry and his American wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who expressed some disdain for Trump prior to her 2018 marriage.
As per usual, he'll meet with the prime minister, Theresa May, who resigned last Friday and is scheduled to leave No.10 on June 7, after she failed to persuade Parliament and her own Tory party to approve a Brexit deal to take the U.K. out of the European Union.
Other events on President Trump's itinerary include viewing a special exhibition in the Buckingham Palace Picture Gallery, which will showcase items of historical significance to the U.S. from the Queen's priceless Royal Collection; a visit to Westminster Abbey, where they will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and a State Banquet.
Trump's visit is expected to spur protests.
Over half of Londoners are opposed to Trump's visit to Britain's capital, according to a recent poll by research firm YouGov and Queen Mary, University of London. Although nationwide: 46% to 40% think the visit should go ahead.
When Trump visited London last year as part of an ordinary working visit an estimated 250,000 people protested on the streets of central London. Anti-Trump activists who oppose his divisive policies from immigration to abortion rights are planning for similar numbers this time. There will be smaller protests around the country.
And remember Trump baby? The phone-wielding, diaper-wearing inflatable that flew above London when Trump visited in July? The team behind it told USA TODAY that the giant orange blimp will again take to the skies, on Tuesday, in Parliament Square.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who Trump has clashed with before, was the subject of two disparaging tweets by the U.S. president on Monday. It came after Khan, London's first Muslim mayor, wrote in an op-ed in British newspaper the Observer that it is "un-British to roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump."
Trump tweeted that Khan was "a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me."
"Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job − only half his height," Trump added.
Contributing: Erin Jensen and Kim Hjelmgaard
More: President Trump denies calling Duchess Meghan 'nasty,' despite interview recording
2019-06-03 14:16:11Z
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