Trump says UK state visit could happen in September and it is an 'honour to be friend of king'
17 April 2025, 21:53 | Updated: 17 April 2025, 22:23
Donald Trump said his UK state visit could happen in September as it is "an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William."
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The US president said his UK state visit is likely to happen in September.
It would be the first time he visits the UK since he won his second term as US president.
Trump received a formal invitation from King Charles, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer personally delivered during his visit to the White House.
"I was invited by the King and the great country. They are going to do a second fest - that's what it is. It is beautiful," Trump said.
"It is the second time is has happened to one person. The reason is we have two separate terms and it's an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William.
"I think they are setting a date for September.
"I don't know how it can be bigger than the last one. The last one was incredible but they say the next one will be even more important."
Appearing in the Oval Office in February, the PM handed a letter to Trump penned by King Charles, detailing a state visit that Starmer described as an "unprecedented" invite.
The royal invite played on Trump's long-standing admiration for the British monarchy.
Should King Charles rescind Donald Trump's state visit invite?
However, the royal visit had recently become a point of contention, as Trump's tariffs put strain on the relationship between the US and UK.
Before the tariffs were implemented, Downing Street confirmed that Trump's second state visit to the UK would not be cancelled in response to the financial levies.
The tariffs, imposed on imports to the US from numerous countries, sent stock prices tumbling and sparked fears of a global recession.
Since then, he has rowed back on the tariffs, reducing the rate paid on imports from most countries to 10 per cent and exempting electronics such as smartphones and laptops from the levy.
There are fears that the UK could strain its relationship with the US as it also seeks an EU trade deal on food and veterinary standards.
Starmer has since been playing a balancing act, attempting to secure favourable deals with both the US and EU, which has had a 25% tariff imposed on its member states.
A petition was launched to oppose Trump's upcoming visit to the UK, reaching more than 200,000 signatures from disgruntled Brits.