Donald Trump says 'yes' to King Charles' invitation for state visit

Trump accepting this invitation from King Charles, makes him the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch

King Charles III extended an invitation to United States President Donald Trump for an official state visit to the United Kingdom, The Hill reported.

During their meeting on Thursday in Washington, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought a letter from Charles to their meeting in the Oval Office, during which Trump called Charles a "beautiful man, a wonderful man."

"This is a letter from Your Majesty, the king. It's an invitation for a second state visit. This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented," Starmer said, touching Trump's shoulder. "This is a very special letter, I think the last state visit was a tremendous success this is truly historic."

"The answer is yes," Trump said in response to Starmer asking if he would take the invite to Windsor Castle. "We look forward to being there and honouring the king and honouring really the country."

Trump accepting this invitation from King Charles, making him the first elected political leader in modern times to be hosted for two state visits by a British monarch.

In a post on X, the White House wrote, "President Donald J. Trump, responding to an invitation from King Charles for a second state visit: "We look forward to being there and honoring the King, honoring the country." @Keir_Starmer."

According to The Hill, the invitation marks the first state visit of Trump's second term. During his first term, Trump met Queen Elizabeth II twice--once in July 2018 and again during a formal state visit in June 2019. He also visited Buckingham Palace for a NATO summit in December 2019.

Windsor Castle, located in, Berkshire, is the official residence of the British monarch. Windsor Castle is primarily used for ceremonial and state occasions, including official state visits and royal events.

King Charles ascended to the throne in 2022, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, during the Biden administration.

Since the November election, Trump has also met with other members of the royal family. In December, as President-elect, he met Prince William in Paris after attending the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. Following that meeting, Trump commented in an interview with The New York Post that Charles is "fighting very hard" through his cancer diagnosis.