Trump to get royal treatment on UK state visit

Britain readied to roll out a supersized royal welcome for Donald Trump's unprecedented second state visit on Wednesday, with King Charles III set to greet the U.S. president amid tight security and out of sight of noisy protesters.

From a carriage ride with the monarch to a flypast and a lavish state dinner in the nearly 1,000-year-old Windsor Castle, the UK is going the extra mile to dazzle and flatter the unpredictable Trump.

A huge security operation will keep the 79-year-old Republican far away from demonstrators and the British public, among whom polls indicate Trump remains unpopular, with the extraordinary show of pomp and pageantry unfolding entirely behind closed doors, and outside London.

Knowing that Trump is obsessed with Britain's royals and loves showy displays of pomp, Britain has turned up the pageantry to the max as he becomes the first U.S. president to receive a second UK state visit.

The trip will involve what British officials call the biggest military ceremonial welcome for any state visit in living memory -- even bigger than when Queen Elizabeth II hosted Trump in 2019.

Trump will also get the first joint flypast by U.S. and UK fighter jets at an event of its kind, and the largest guard of honour at a state visit, featuring 120 horses and 1,300 troops.

AFP