Anti-Trump protesters march through London as president basks in royal welcome

Donald Trump was treated to a royal reception featuring gun salutes, soldiers on horseback and a Red Arrows flypast as he met Wednesday with Britain's King Charles III for a historic second state visit, which unfolded far from marching protesters.

The pair laughed and joked as Trump inspected troops at Windsor Castle, west of London, in an elaborate spectacle featuring a carriage procession designed to play into the mercurial American leader's love of pomp and pageantry.

Some 120 horses and 1,300 members of the British military -- some in red tunics and gold plumed helmets -- feted Trump during a ceremonial guard of honour that UK officials called the largest for a state visit to Britain in living memory.

The president and First Lady Melania Trump were greeted by heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife, Catherine at Windsor after stepping off the Marine One helicopter under grey skies at 12.15 pm local time.

Inside a ring of steel and out of sight from thousands of demonstrators shouting anti-Trump slogans in London, William and Catherine then walked Trump and his wife a short distance to meet the waiting Charles and Queen Camilla.

As the president shook hands with the king, a 41-gun salute was fired simultaneously from six First World War-era guns on the castle's east lawn, as a similar display took place at the Tower of London, in the centre of the capital.

The Trumps and the royals were then taken in a black and gold coach, surrounded by cavalry, through the Windsor estate towards the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, where Trump and Charles inspected the guard of honour.

The pair were seen sharing smiles, and the president saluted as the US national anthem played, before the royals and their guests headed inside for lunch.

They exchanged gifts, with the royals giving Trump a book to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US declaration of independence next year, and Trump gifting Charles a replica of a sword owned by President Dwight Eisenhower.

'Warm my heart'

Britain is pulling out all the stops to dazzle and flatter the unpredictable Trump as the UK government tries to keep him onside during a host of international crises.

The 79-year-old Republican is, however, being kept far away from the British public as polls indicate he remains unpopular, with the entire visit happening behind closed doors.

An estimated 5,000 people marched through central London on Wednesday waving Palestinian flags and displaying banners with slogans including "Migrants welcome, Trump not welcome".

"I'm just scared of the way the world's being taken over by really nasty men," Jo Williamson, a 58-year-old funeral director from Kent, southeast England, told AFP.

Trump is the first US president to receive two state visits, after his previous one with Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.

At Windsor, he laid a wreath on the tomb of Elizabeth, Charles's mother, who died in 2022, and viewed a collection of US-related items, including a letter sent from President Abraham Lincoln to Queen Victoria in 1862 after the death of Prince Albert.

The Trumps also had a meeting with William and Catherine at Windsor, described by their Kensington Palace office as "warm and friendly".

Trump's changeability on everything from tariffs to Ukraine and Gaza has caused global turmoil and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be hoping the president leaves on

Thursday feeling the warm glow of royal soft power.

Later on Wednesday, King Charles praised Donald Trump's "personal commitment" to seeking peace at the start of a sumptuous state banquet at Windsor Castle in the US president's honour.

"Our countries are working together in support of crucial diplomatic efforts, not least of which, Mr. President, is your own personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world's most intractable conflicts, in order to secure peace," the monarch told the more than 100 guests.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called his unprecedented second UK state visit "one of the highest honours of my life" as he addressed the lavish banquet.

"This is truly one of the highest honours of my life," Trump told the guests, describing the UK and US as "two notes in one chord... each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together".

Epstein's shadow

"A lot of things here warm my heart," the president, who owns two golf resorts in Scotland, his mother's homeland, said on arriving late Tuesday at the US ambassador's official

residence in London.

The US leader may also relish a chance to escape a turbulent period at home, where the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk has caused deep turmoil.

But the spectre looms of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is providing domestic headaches for both Trump and Starmer.

Police arrested four people after they projected images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle late Tuesday.

Starmer will host Trump on the second day of the visit on Thursday at his country residence, Chequers.

The pair will be buoyed by the announcement of billions of pounds of investment in each other's economies, including from British pharmaceutical group GSK and Google, but there could be awkward moments.

Starmer faces political troubles at home, after sacking his UK ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, over his links to the late Epstein.

- AFP