The news was confirmed by U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood Johnson to Sky News on Tuesday. Trump is scheduled to meet with Queen Elizabeth on July 13, but it won’t be an official state visit with a formal reception at Buckingham Palace.
Johnson told Sky News, “I mean he has to see the head of state. Putting his foot on British soil, it’s job one, it’s very important, very symbolic. Meeting Her Majesty is the most important thing, because she’s the head of state, and from then on, it’ll be what the president wants to do.”
Windsor Castle hasn’t been confirmed as the official venue just yet, but its website says that it will be closed to the public on July 13, indicating that it will be the meeting venue. It’s the first time Trump has been in the country since being elected in 2016. People reports that Trump might also meet Prime Minister Theresa May and possibly play golf as his own course, Turnberry, in Scotland.
The possibility for a more formal state visit is still on the table — the offer was made shortly after his inauguration in January 2017. But the visit has been put on hold due to the threat of protests and a petition stating that Trump shouldn’t be given the privilege of a full state visit.