"A new Trump presidency, a new prime minister, a different administration, but the same sense of panic and the same impression that our greatest leverage with this president is to flatter him and try to connect him with something that appears to be really impressive to him," Farr said, referring to the monarchy and the fact that Trump's mother was born in Scotland.
The highlight of the state visit is planned for Wednesday evening: a state banquet, where the male attendees will wear tailcoats, and the women will be adorned with designer gowns and jewels."Tiaras will be heavily featured," said historian Hugo Vickers, who wrote a biography of the late Prince Philip's mother."It will all look very grand."
For the state banquet, the royal couple and their guests will sit at the massive Waterloo Table, which is about half the length of a football field and can seat 160 people. It takes five full days to set the table. The silverware chosen consists of more than 4,000 pieces.
Vickers said the silverware and the ceremony made rapprochement possible."Keir Starmer, somewhat cleverly, used the king to lure President Trump here," Vickers said. The visit was"a wonderful opportunity" for a conversation with Trump."This is all a step in the right direction."
Protests are forming in London
In London, however, a very different mood prevailed. Thousands of people were expected to protest in the early afternoon. The Stop Trump Coalition said it was"naive" to believe that Trump would have an interest in the United Kingdom's support just because he was being courted so much.
The police had announced that they would be dispatching more than 1,500 officers to accompany the protests. Over the weekend, more than 100,000 people took to the streets in London for a far-right demonstration. Anti-Trump activists want to clearly distance themselves from this.