“London part of trip is going really well,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic. The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong.”
Trump’s first day in the UK mostly involved meetings with royals — a welcome ceremony with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, tea with Prince Charles and Camilla, and a tour of Westminster Abbey, where Trump laid a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
The day ended with an elaborate formal banquet at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen and featuring 170 guests, including the extended royal family, Trump’s adult children, and numerous prominent UK business leaders.
In brief speeches before the dinner, both the Queen and President Trump celebrated the relationship between the US and the UK. “Tonight we celebrate an alliance that has helped to ensure the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades,” the Queen said, “and which I believe will endure for many years to come.”
Trump’s day tomorrow will be a tad less glamorous: He’s cohosting a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May and business leaders from the US and UK in the morning, and in the evening will host a dinner at Winfield House (the US ambassador’s residence) for Prince Charles and Camilla.
Large anti-Trump protests are expected in London on Tuesday, and the “Trump baby” blimp will be hard to miss. Trump tweeted on Monday that so far he had only seen well-wishers and no protesters — though he added that the “Fake News will be working hard to find them.” A small group of anti-Trump protesters gathered outside Buckingham Palace on Monday night, as well as a smattering of MAGA-hat wearing supporters.
Here’s a look at day one of President Trump’s state visit.
Trump gets a royal welcome at Buckingham Palace
Victoria Jones/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump is greeted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Samir Hussein/WireImageQueen Elizabeth II (second left) officially welcomes President Donald Trump (C) and First Lady Melania Trump (L) with Charles, Prince of Wales (second right), and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, (R) at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Toby Melville/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump reviews an honor guard with Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Samir Hussein/WireImageJared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch the ceremonial welcome from a window at Buckingham Palace on June 03, 2019 in London, England.
Here are those, er, hard-to-find protesters … and a few “well wishers”
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesAmnesty International installed “Resist Trump” banners on Vauxhall Bridge following the arrival of President Donald Trump on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesAnti-Trump protesters gather outside of Buckingham Palace as Marine One flies in on June 3, 2019.Tim Ireland/AP PhotoA Trump supporter argues with an anti-Trump protester near Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019.
Trump and his entourage then headed to Westminster Abbey for a special guided tour
Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump’s motorcade drives along Horse Guards Road on June 3, 2019, in London, United Kingdom. Police had erected barricades to control crowds, but almost no one showed up.Samir Hussein/WireImagePresident Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are greeted at Westminster Abbey by the abbey dean, the Very Rev. Dr. John Hall, on June 03, 2019, in London, England.Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool / Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump place a wreath on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior during a visit to Westminster Abbey on June 03, 2019, in London, England.Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/ Getty ImagesIvanka Trump and Jared Kushner look on during a visit to Westminster Abbey on June 03, 2019, in London, England.Alex Brandon/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump signs the guestbook at Westminster Abbey with his signature black marker.Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump’s message and his signature along with that of First Lady Melania Trump in the Westminster Abbey visitors book on June 3, 2019, in London, England.
Tea with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Victoria Jones/Pool/AFPPresident Donald Trump (second left) and First Lady Melania Trump (L) pose for a photograph with their hosts Prince Charles (2R) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, before taking tea at Clarence House in London on June 3, 2019.
The white-tie state dinner in the Buckingham Palace ballroom
Victoria Jones/Pool/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II lead a procession of guests through the East Gallery toward the ballroom of Buckingham Palace for a state banquet on June 3, 2019.Victoria Jones/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesIvanka Trump and UK Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox walk through the East Gallery toward the ballroom of Buckingham Palace for a state banquet on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Alastair Grant/Pool/AP PhotoPresident Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II, First Lady Melania Trump, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, pose for the media ahead of the state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on June 3, 2019.Dominic Lipinski/Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II hosts President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and 170 other guests for a state banquet in the opulent ballroom at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019.Dominic Lipinski/WPA Pool/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump makes a speech as Queen Elizabeth II listens during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019, in London, England.Dominic Lipinski/Pool/AFP/Getty ImagesQueen Elizabeth II laughs with President Donald Trump during a state banquet in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019.