From royals to tech deals as Trump visits UK

A state visit always sends a buzz through the newsroom — and U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to the U.K. next week looks set to deliver royal, political and business headlines, despite being his second such visit.

Wednesday will bring the royal pomp and ceremony.

Trump and First Lady Melania will be greeted at Windsor Castle by King Charles and Queen Camilla with a royal salute, followed by a carriage procession.

Later, the president will lay a wreath on the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II, which will be followed by a flypast of American F-35 military jets alongside the British Red Arrows. The day will end with a state banquet, during which both the king and president will make speeches.

On Thursday, it’s down to business.

Trump will head to Chequers, the country house of sitting U.K. prime ministers, where he’ll meet Keir Starmer for a series of bilateral meetings, followed by a joint press conference later that day.

From a foreign policy perspective, the timing is awkward.

Starmer has just fired the U.K.’s U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson, citing fresh details over his connections with disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Downing Street had pinned much hope on Mandelson to reinvigorate the “special relationship” between the two nations.

Interestingly, just two weeks ago, the Telegraph reported that Trump had invited Mandelson’s predecessor, Karen Pierce, to this week’s state banquet, in a sign that trouble may already have been brewing.

But back to business. Both Trump and Starmer may be depending on the tech bros to bring some positive headlines.

CNBC’s Ryan Browne reported Friday that Nvidia and OpenAI — which are both part of the U.S. business delegation traveling with Trump — are set to make major U.K. investment commitments. The two tech firms are discussing a sizable deal to support data center development in the country, which could ultimately be worth billions of dollars, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also attend the state banquet at Windsor Castle, as well as the meetings with Starmer.

Bessent will be fresh off the plane from Madrid, Spain, where he is meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng for the fourth round of trade talks between the U.S. and China. They are also expected to address the future of TikTok, which faces another deadline on Sept. 17, to decide on either an American ban on the social media app, or a partial sale by its Chinese parent ByteDance.

It’s a lot for one week. And while state visits are known for their meticulous planning, the newsroom will be keeping its eyes and ears open for any unexpected moments — whether it’s a hot-mic slip-up, controversial outfit choice, exotic banquet menu selection, or any other surprises that could come our way.