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WINDSOR, England: It’s the sort of experience you just can’t buy.
The carriages are being polished, the family silver is being laid out, and diamonds are being dusted off as King Charles III prepares to offer a royal welcome to Donald Trump for what will be the highlight of the US president’s unprecedented second state visit to Britain.
Hundreds of soldiers, gardeners and chefs are putting the finishing touches on their preparations to make sure the president and first lady Melania Trump get the full royal treatment. But it’s a spectacle with a purpose: to bolster ties with a world leader known for a love of bling at a time when his America First policies are putting pressure on trade and security arrangements globally.
The second leg of the visit will take place on Thursday, when Trump and Starmer meet at Chequers, the 16th-century redbrick pile in the Chiltern Hills northwest of London that serves as the official country estate of British prime ministers. The government hopes a technology deal to be signed during the trip will underline the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO.
The backdrop for day one will be Windsor Castle, an almost 1,000-year-old royal residence with gilded interiors, crenelated towers and priceless artworks.
It’s a scene that has seemed to enchant Trump, who ditched his trademark bluster and described the invitation to Windsor as “a great, great honor.”
“I think that also is why he seems so visibly excited about the second meeting, because it isn’t an invitation given to (just) anyone,” said George Gross, an expert on the British monarchy at King’s College London.
Trump said Tuesday after arriving in London that he loved being back in the United Kingdom, calling it a “very special place.” Asked if he had a message for Charles, he said the king was a longtime friend of his and well-respected.
While Britain’s royals long ago gave up real political power, their history, tradition and celebrity give them a cachet that means presidents and prime ministers covet an invitation to join them. That makes the invitations, handed out at the request of the elected government, a powerful tool to reward friends and wring concessions out of reluctant allies.
 

State banquet
No US president, or any other world leader, has ever had the honor of a second UK state visit. That won’t be lost on a president who often describes his actions with superlatives and has made no secret of his fondness for the British royals.
The day will begin when the king and Queen Camilla formally welcome the Trumps to Windsor Castle.
That will be followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride through the estate — 6,400 hectares (15,800 acres) of farms, forest and open space that includes a one-time royal hunting ground which is still home to 500 red deer.
Back at the castle, a military band will play “God Save the King” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Trump and the king inspect an honor guard of soldiers in traditional scarlet tunics and tall bearskin hats.
After a private lunch and a visit to an exhibit of documents and artwork illustrating the ties between Britain and the US, it will be time for the glitz and glamor of a state banquet.
Tiaras and medals will be on display as up to 160 guests in formal wear gather around a 50-meter long mahogany table set with 200-year-old silver to honor the president. Charles will deliver a speech, then the king and president will offer toasts.
Trump won’t, however, have the chance to address a joint session of Parliament as French President Emmanuel Macron did in July during his state visit, because the House of Commons is in recess. The president also missed out on that honor during his first state visit amid opposition from then-Speaker of the House John Bercow.

‘It’s very dreary’
Most state visits are staged in London, against the grand backdrop of Buckingham Palace and the broad, flag-lined boulevard known as The Mall. But this one is taking place in the cozier confines of Windsor, a historic town of just over 30,000 people about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of central London.
That makes it easier to control protests and protect the president at a time of increased international tensions, especially after the fatal shooting of Trump ally Charlie Kirk last week in Utah. Even so, British police have mounted a massive police operation to ensure the president’s safety.
When Trump was in London on his first state visit in 2019, he was met by thousands of protesters who filled the streets outside the Houses of Parliament as a balloon shaped like a giant, diaper-wearing baby Trump floated overhead.
Robert Lacey, a royal historian and the consultant on the Netflix television series “The Crown,” said Windsor is also a more “photogenic setting” for a state visit.
“Buckingham Palace has got its balcony, it’s got its façade,” he said. But “inside it’s very dreary and it’s currently being renovated, which is one reason why Mr. Trump will not be staying there. Windsor is a proper castle.”

WASHINGTON: Labor unions, faculty and students in the University of California education system sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday over the freezing of federal funds and other actions that they say aim to stifle academic freedom.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks to forbid the government from using financial threats against the system that it said were harmful and unlawful. It also aims to restore funding already suspended.
“(The administration) has attempted to implement a playbook to threaten colleges and universities,” the coalition that filed the lawsuit said. It added that those threats were based on disdain for the institutions’ curriculum, expressive activity on campuses, and initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The University of California system and the White House had no immediate comment on the lawsuit.

The government has launched probes into universities’ handling of alleged antisemitism during student protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, and has frozen funds over that and other issues, including climate initiatives and DEI programs.
Civil rights advocates say the Trump administration is attempting to make universities more aligned with his political agenda, while critics also see such attempts as threatening free speech and academic freedom.
The University of California operates one of the largest higher-education systems in the country, with 10 main campuses and nearly 300,000 students, as well as 265,000 faculty and staff.
The Trump administration had proposed to settle its probe into the University of California, Los Angeles — part of the university system — through a $1 billion payment from the institution. Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom called that an extortion attempt.
UCLA said in August the government froze $584 million in funding before a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore some of that money. The University of California, Berkeley, another campus in the system, said on Friday it provided information on 160 faculty members and students to the government as part of an investigation.
University of California President James Milliken said on Monday the institution was facing one of the gravest threats in its history due to the federal government’s actions, noting that it receives more than $17 billion each year in federal support.
The Trump administration has faced some legal roadblocks in its funding freeze attempts. A federal judge ruled earlier this month that it had unlawfully terminated more than $2 billion in grants for Harvard University.
The government alleges universities allowed antisemitism during campus protests. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have said the government is wrongly equating their criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism.
Human rights advocates have noted a rise in antisemitism, anti-Arab bias and Islamophobia due to conflict in the Middle East, although the Trump administration has not announced probes into Islamophobia.
The administration has settled its investigations with Columbia and Brown universities.