DONALD Trump will reportedly make his state visit to the UK in September.
The US President has said he is “honoured” to be making the trip as and praised his “friend” King Charles and Prince William.
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Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Trump are believed to have spoken about the trip on a telephone call.
An official plan is close to being formally agreed, it is understood.
Trump will visit Windsor Castle, where he met the late Queen in 2018, as opposed to the expected Balmoral or Dumfries House.
As reported by The Telegraph, the Government had offered several options to the White House.
Prince William and Princess Kate live a stone’s throw away from the castle at Adelaide Cottage with their three children.
An official state visit to Windsor Castle would likely mean Wills would be involved, alongside Kate.
This comes after Sir Keir Starmer presented Mr Trump with a hand-signed letter from the King during his White House visit in February.
It invited the US leader to stay at either Dumfries House or Balmoral, which was respected as a high honour.
During the meeting, Trump publicly accepted the King’s invitation and said: “The answer is yes. We look forward to being there and honouring the King, honouring the country.”
Meanwhile, Mr Trump later appeared to suggest Buckingham Palace was “setting a date for September” for his second state visit to the UK.
The US president told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday: “I was invited by the King and the country – great country.
“They’re going to a second, as you know, a second fest… that’s what it is: a fest, and it’s beautiful, and it’s the first time its ever happened to one person.
“And the reason is we have two separate terms, and it’s an honour… I’m a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William, we have really just a great respect for the family.
“And I think they’re setting a date for September.”
This follows Mr Trump’s deputy suggesting he could strike a trade deal with the UK due to his love of Britain.
Vice President JD Vance insisted there is a “good chance” of an agreement due to his affection for our country.
The positive soundings from the White House comes as the UK faces 10 per cent tariffs on goods heading stateside.
Mr Trump’s number two revealed the thinking of the US administration in a major interview with Unherd.
Vance said: “There’s a real cultural affinity … I think there’s a good chance that, yes, we’ll come to a great agreement that’s in the best interest of both countries.”
Downing Street are expected to greet the news warmly as they attempt to mitigate the levies.
Trump used a White House ceremony two weeks ago to formally lay out his tariff plans – that originally hit the European Union with a 20 per cent surcharge.
But Britain is keen to reduce the 25 per cent levy on cars, aluminium and steel.
Vance buyer during the first major overseas interview that Trump’s affection for the royal family could swing a deal.
He said: “The president really loves the United Kingdom. He loved the Queen.
“He admires and loves the King. It is a very important relationship.”
Vance also revealed that the US was working “very hard” to secure an economic deal with the UK.
He said: “With the United Kingdom, we have a much more reciprocal relationship than we have with, say, Germany …
“While we love the Germans, they are heavily dependent on exporting to the United States but are pretty tough on a lot of American businesses that would like to export into Germany.”
President Trump was awarded his first state visit to the UK in June 2019, with no US President offered two such distinctions.
He has spoken regularly of his fondness of the Royal family, especially the late Queen.
In December he met with Prince William in Paris, and later told the PM he was greatly impressed by the heir to the throne.
A Whitehall insider said last month: “He’s already been to Windsor and Buckingham Palace, so Balmoral is being talked about.
“Everyone knows he loves Scotland and it’s near his golf course.”
UK-US trade deal ‘will be agreed in just THREE WEEKS’
By Milad Sherzad
A TRADE deal between the UK and US will be agreed to within just three weeks, an insider has revealed.
White House officials want to achieve the rapid deal with Britain as President Donald Trump aims to isolate China in his global tariff trade war, the insider claimed.
This comes just days after US vice-president JD Vance eased worries in financial markets when he predicted Trump would agree to a “great” deal with London, due to his “cultural affinity” with the UK.
A White House official told The Telegraph he expected an agreement to be reached “soon”, adding it could be achieved within “two weeks, or maybe three”.
Britain was hit by a flat 10 per cent tariff by the US President earlier this month as part of his “liberation day”, which saw him enforce trade barriers on countries around the world.
China has been hit with tariffs of 145 per cent by the White House, and has responded itself with a tax of 125 per cent on imports from the US.
The World Trade Organisation said this could see business between the two giants plunge by 90 per cent.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday there were already 15 trade deals being negotiated, after more than 75 nations reached out to land deals before the 90-day pause on more aggressive tariffs expires.
After Trump revealed his varying tariffs for countries around the world, stock markets were sent into freefall and diplomatic crises ensued.
Following the devastating effects, the US president rolled back on his announcement, placing a blanket 10 per cent tariff on all imports globally for 90 days, except those from China.
While he has kept the large levy on the Asian country, he rolled back on placing it on all imports, sparing iPhones, laptops, and other electronics from the brutal tariffs.
In terms of an agreement with Britain, Trump officials have publicly and privately said the UK is in a good position for a quick deal as it imports more from the US than it exports.
The president had heavily targeted countries with tariffs which exported more to the US than they imported.
However, some officials have cautioned that Britain’s safety cannot be guaranteed, due to Trump’s unpredictable nature.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former strategist, said a deal with the UK would be one of the fastest and easiest to negotiate.
He said: “You (Britain) don’t make anything anymore [that] we’re trying to bring back – that’s why Japan and Korea will be tough.”
“Sure you guys make automobiles but it is nothing in the grand scheme of things – they’re kind of bespoke Jaguars and Aston Martins.”
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