Donald Trump

British Royal Family to Play a Big Role in Trump's Upcoming Visit to the UK

Lavish ceremonial and cultural events on prior trips elsewhere have pleased and impressed Trump to a great extent

What to Know

  • President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit to the U.K. next month will be dominated by events with Britain’s royal family.
  • Trump’s 2018 visit to the U.K. featured just one event with Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Trump plans to bring all four of his adult children with him to the U.K. for the state visit.

President Donald Trump's three-day state visit to the U.K. next month will be dominated by events with Britain's royal family, according to a new schedule released Friday by Buckingham Palace.

The schedule was released just hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Friday that she will resign effective June 7, just two days after the president, first lady Melania Trump and Trump's adult children depart the U.K.

The high number of events with the royal family in part reflects the fact that the president's visit this time, which begins June 3, is his first official state visit, and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state.

Trump's 2018 visit to the U.K. was technically a working visit, and not a state visit, and it included several events with May, a dinner with business leaders and just one tea with the queen.

The prevalence of events with members of the royal family this time may also reflect a deeper understanding on the part of Trump's British hosts about what the president personally enjoys doing while on foreign trips.

Lavish ceremonial and cultural events on prior trips elsewhere have pleased and impressed Trump to a great extent, and he has spoken glowingly of military parades and royal ceremonies he has experienced on other foreign trips. After his last trip to the U.K., Trump raved about his tea with the queen.

"We got along fantastically well," Trump recounted at a campaign rally later that summer. "You know, sometimes if you like somebody you get along – good chemistry – the time goes by. So we were there for about an hour."

But while Trump met with only the queen in 2018, this time around, the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will also play hosts.

Also underscoring the personal nature of Trump's June trip is the fact that the president plans to bring all four of his adult children with him to the U.K. for the state visit, a White House official confirmed to CNBC on Friday.

The optics of Britain's royal family hosting the extended Trump family are likely to create just the kind of imagery the president is known to appreciate.

Below is an abridged list of the events Trump is expected to attend in the U.K. that will feature members of the royal family, according to the Buckingham Palace schedule.

MONDAY 3rd JUNE

The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump will arrive in the UK on the morning of Monday 3rd June.

Her Majesty The Queen, joined by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, will officially welcome The President and Mrs Trump at Buckingham Palace. The President will receive a Ceremonial Welcome in the Buckingham Palace Garden and The President, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will inspect the Guard of Honour.

The Queen will host a private lunch at Buckingham Palace for the President and First Lady, after which Her Majesty will invite The President and Mrs. Trump to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery, which will showcase items of historical significance to the United States from the Royal Collection.

Afterwards, The President and Mrs. Trump, accompanied by The Duke of York, will visit Westminster Abbey.

The President and Mrs. Trump will then join The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for tea at Clarence House.

In the evening, Her Majesty The Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump.

TUESDAY 4th JUNE

On Tuesday morning, The President and The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Theresa May MP will co-host a business breakfast meeting, attended by The Duke of York, at St James's Palace, with senior UK and US business leaders.

In the evening, The President and Mrs. Trump will host a return dinner at Winfield House, the Residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the dinner on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.

WEDNESDAY 5th JUNE

On Wednesday, The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, with The President and Mrs. Trump, will attend the National Commemorative Event for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common, Portsmouth, alongside over 300 D-Day veterans.

The Queen will formally bid farewell to The President and Mrs. Trump in Portsmouth.

This story first appeared on CNBC.com. More from CNBC:

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