U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania arrive in Britain for a three-day state visit. Britain's Queen Elizabeth will greet Trump and Melania with a welcome ceremony outside Buckingham Palace.
ADVERTISEMENTUS President Donald Trump is joining Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen highlighted the UK and US' economic ties as the largest investors in each others' countries as well as Trump's link with the country through his Scottish ancestry.
"Tonight we celebrate an alliance that has helped to ensure the safety and prosperity of both our peoples for decades, and which I believe will endure for many years to come," she said.
The US president said he and his family were "profoundly honoured" to be the Queen's guests and thanked her for her "nearly seven decades of treasured friendship with the USA".
"As we honour our shared victory and heritage we affirm the common values that will unite us long into the future; freedom, sovereignty, self-determination, the rule of law and reference for the rights given to us by almighty God," he added.
You can watch back the arrivals at the banquet and speeches in the above video player.
Trump's state visit to the UK started off in controversy on Monday after he called London mayor Sadiq Khan a "stone-cold loser" in a tweet.
Trump renewed his attacks on Khan right before stepping off Air Force One at Stansted Airport near London.
The mayor previously criticised the British government's decision to offer a state visit to Trump.
In an interview with Sky News, London's mayor Sadiq Khan weighed in on the president's visit, stating that Londoners find his policies "abhorrent and offensive."
"We've got to have good relations with the U.S.A but I don't think we should be rolling out the red carpet. I don't think this should be a state visit," Khan said.
'Dear Trump...'
Khan published a video via UK women's magazine Elle "about how women ought to be treated globally".
Speaking directly to the camera, the mayor of London starts his message: "President Trump, if you're watching this, your values and what you stand for are the complete opposite of London's values and the values in this country."
He goes on the make the points that "we think diversity is not a weakness," as well as "we respect women" and "we think it's important to safeguard the rights of all of us particularly vulnerable and marginalised".
Khan also addressed recent moves from half a dozen US states that passed sweeping new anti-abortion laws, sharply curbing women's access to the medical procedure.
"What we are seeing in the USA is a rolling back of the reproductive rights of women. We've got a situation now where some states in the USA are making it almost impossible for women to have the right to an abortion," he said.
More royal business this time around
The US president's state visit will have more pageantry than his last trip to the United Kingdom in July 2018.
At the start of Monday's visit, the US president and first lady met with the Queen at Buckingham Palace for a private lunch and welcome ceremony.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Queen showed Trump golfing memorabilia and showed the US president and his wife items of historical significance to the United States including a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The President also toured Westminster Abbey with the Queen's second son, Prince Andrew.
The state visit includes a banquet (planned for Monday night) in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom at which the Queen will make a speech and toast.
There are typically just two state visits hosted by the Queen per year, and Trump is only the third US president after George W. Bush and Barack Obama to receive the honour.
Trump is also set to have tea with Prince Charles and to meet with Prime Minister Theresa May.
ADVERTISEMENTIn Trump's interview with The Sun, the US president said he did not know he would not be meeting Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. He said he did not know "she was nasty” when asked about her past comments on his policies.
Trump's adult children and their spouses are expected to join the president in the United Kingdom, according to US news reports.
The US president and first lady Melania Trump will join the Queen in the south of England to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Trump will go to France on Thursday for official D-Day ceremonies.
Protests
Protesters are planning several events throughout London during the US president's state visit.
The largest event is expected to be a protest on June 4 in Trafalgar Square. The "Together Against Trump" Facebook event lists 8,000 participants and more than 33,000 people indicated that they were interested in the event.
ADVERTISEMENTWhen Trump visited the United Kingdom in 2018, protesters took to the streets of London with a "baby blimp" — an inflatable balloon of a baby Trump.
The balloon is expected to make a reappearance at protests this year as well.
The Metropolitan Police are preparing a "multi-faceted security operation."
"We are anticipating a number of additional protests to take place across central London throughout the duration of the President’s visit," the Met Police said in a statement.
Endorsing Boris
As the UK prepared for Donald Trump's three-day state visit, the US president's comments were already causing a stir.
ADVERTISEMENTIn an interview with The Sun, Trump weighed in on UK politics, endorsing Boris Johnson in his bid to be the United Kingdom's next prime minister.
"I've always liked him...he's been very positive about me and our country," the US president said of former foreign secretary Johnson who recently put his hat in the ring for Tory leadership.
"I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be, I think he would be excellent," Trump said in an interview posted on The Sun website Friday.
With Theresa May set to resign as head of the conservative party on June 7, Trump's comments came at a divisive moment in British politics.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted that Trump's comments were an "unacceptable interference" in the UK's democracy.
ADVERTISEMENTIn an interview with the Sunday Times posted Saturday, Trump said the Tories should send Nigel Farage to negotiate Brexit and that the UK should "walk away" if Brussels does not give ground.