From a carriage procession, state banquet and the meeting of leaders, Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK has been jam packed.
Since touching down in London late on Tuesday, all attention has been on the US president and first lady, Melania.
With a warm welcome from Sir Keir Starmer, a lavish royal display, and protests in London against the visit, the trip yielded a mixed reception – although the US president was shielded from the ‘realities of life’ and peopleoutside of the Windsor walls, according to Sky News’ International Affairs Editor Dominic Waghorn.
As the unprecedented visit draws to a close, here are nine things you may have missed during Mr Trump’s time in the UK.
The handshake that breached royal protocol – or did it?
Greeting the King and Prince of Wales with a firm handshake – something the US president has become known for – Mr Trump also touched the monarch and second-in-line to the throne on the arm.
Mr Trump was captured again, this time putting his hand on the King’s back, while they took seats before the Red Arrows flypast.
Image: King Charles receives Donald Trump and Melania Trump at Windsor Castle.
Pic: PA
While Buckingham Palace makes it clear that touching the King is not a breach of official protocol, it is an accepted custom not to initiate physical contact with a member of the Royal Family.
It was clear neither Charles nor William took offence to the act.
Image: Pic: Reuters
The first lady’s eye-covering hat
Keeping in line with the first lady’s past fashion choices, Melania Trump arrived in Windsor wearing a purple hat that covered her eyes from virtually every angle.
Image: Pic: Reuters
The hat was similar to one Mrs Trump wore to her husband’s inauguration in January – that time a navy and white hat which was designed by Eric Javits.
Despite the similarities, the designer of the hat for the UK state visit has yet to be publicly disclosed.
Image: Pic: AP
‘Watch the sword’
While inspecting a line of honour guard at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, the King playfully nudged Mr Trump on the arm, telling him to “watch the sword” as one member of the King’s Guard shifted position, swinging the blade near the US leader.
The moment was captured by Sky News’ royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills.
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King appears to tell Trump ‘watch the sword!’
The president’s joke
During the state banquet in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall, both the King and Mr Trump made speeches.
Hailing the state visit as “one of the highest honours of my life” Mr Trump also made a joke, saying he hopes he is the last US president to be given an unprecedented second state visit.
“This was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time, I hope it is actually,” he said to muffled laughter in the room.
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But he also recalled a story about another US president – who he claimed tried to set the then-Prince of Wales up with his daughter in the 1970s.
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King gives banquet speech
After the King about how “I cannot help but wonder what our forebears from 1776 would make of this friendship today,” he talked up the special relationship between the US and UK, saying: “Throughout my life… I have cherished the close ties between the British and American people.
“In fact, had the media succeeded in the 1970s in their own attempt at deepening the special relationship, I myself might have been married off within the Nixon family!”
Teetotal Trump
Mr Trump is famously teetotal, having told Fox News after winning the presidential election for the first time that he has “never had a drink”. And it appears during the state banquet the president stuck to water.
Image: Pic: Reuters
In pictures showing guests raising a glass, the contents of Mr Trump’s is noticeably different to those around him.
It remains unknown if a non-alcoholic version of the banquet’s special cocktail – a Transatlantic Whisky Sour – was made for the US leader.
Image: Trump’s glass appearing to contain water. Pic: Reuters
Beekeeper Kate
When the Princess of Wales and the first lady joined a group of Scouts in the grounds of Frogmore Cottage, the youngsters were given honey sandwiches, which were made by bees kept by Kate at Anmer Hall, her Norfolk home.
Keeping on theme, Melania also brought a jar of White House honey for each of the children.
The Queen is also a keen apiarist (someone who looks after beehives) – and she keeps bees at Raymill, her retreat in Wiltshire.
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Melania and Kate meet Scouts in Windsor
Arrest (and release) over Epstein projections
As Mr Trump flew into the UK, projections of him and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were projected on to Windsor Castle.
The huge pictures were beamed from a nearby hotel, and the nine-minute film included several pictures showing the US president with Epstein.
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Epstein and Trump projected on to Windsor Castle
A 60-year-old from East Sussex, a 37-year-old from Kent, a 36-year-old from London, and a 50-year-old also from London were detained over the incident on Tuesday night. All four were then released on bail on Thursday.
Thames Valley Police said the men had been bailed until 12 December while they investigate “possible offences including malicious communications and public nuisance”.
The final question in a joint press conference between Mr Trump and Sir Keir came from Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby, who asked the two leaders about the recently sacked UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson.
But Mr Trump quickly moved the answer to Sir Keir.
“I don’t know him, actually. I had heard that, and I think maybe the prime minister would be better speaking of that, it was a choice that he made,” he said before turning to Sir Keir.
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Beth Rigby questions Trump and PM
“What is your answer to that?”
Starmer answered: “Some information came to light last week, which wasn’t available when he was appointed.
“And I made a decision.”
Lord Mandelson was fired last Thursday after it emerged that he had continued his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after his first conviction in 2008, having encouraged him to fight for early release.
Donald Trump begins bulldozing much of the White House as his plans to build a mega ballroom begin – without planning permission, nor true clarity as to how it’s all being funded.
There are aesthetic questions, historical questions and ethical questions. We dig into what they are.
And – who is the young Democratic socialist about to become New York City’s first Muslim mayor? We tell you everything you need to know about Zohran Mamdani.
You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel – and watch David Blevins’ digital video on the White House ballroom here.
Email us on trump100@sky.uk with your comments and questions.
Analysis: Escalation will test Trump and Carney’s relationship
Trump turning once again on America’s closest ally Canada just proves how flippant his trade decisions are.
The smooth-talking confidence of Prime Minister Mark Carney persuaded Canadians to vote for him in this year’s election.
He certainly ran on a pitch to stand up to Trump, but his recent dealings with the US president have largely been diplomatic and cordial.
Carney was last in the Oval Office just over two weeks ago, and the pair laughed off Trump’s obsession with Canada becoming the “51st state”.
But now it’s a single advert from the government of Ontario that has triggered Trump to pause all trade talks between the two, calling its anti-tariff stance “egregious” on his social media platform Truth Social.
The advert uses Ronald Reagan’s voice to attack tariff policy – arguing trade barriers “hurt every American worker and consumer… markets shrink, and collapse, businesses and industries shut down and millions of people lose their jobs”.
But now, the Ronald Reagan Foundation has said the ad “misrepresents” his words – and they did not give their permission to use it.
Mere hours before Trump’s post, Carney was prodding Trump jokingly to bet on the outcome of the baseball World Series.
Given this latest escalation by the President tonight, their next interaction will be far from a laughing matter.
Vladimir Putin has described Donald Trump’s sanctions against two major oil firms as an “unfriendly act”.
However, the Russian president has insisted the tightened restrictions won’t affect the nation’s economy, a claim widely contradicted by most analysts.
In a major policy shift, Mr Trump imposed sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil – Russia’s biggest oil companies – on Wednesday.
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Will US sanctions on Russian oil hurt the Kremlin?
The White House said this was because of “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine”.
Putin has now warned the move could disrupt the global oil markets, and lead to higher prices for consumers worldwide.
A meeting between the two leaders had been proposed in Budapest, but Mr Trump said he had decided to cancel the talks because “it didn’t feel right to me”.
Speaking from the Oval Office, he had told reporters: “I have good conversations. And then, they don’t go anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere.”
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Giving a speech in Moscow yesterday, Putin said “dialogue is always better than war” – but warned that Russia will never bow to pressure from abroad.
Earlier, his long-term ally Dmitry Medvedev had described Mr Trump as a “talkative peacemaker” who had now “fully embarked on the warpath against Russia”.
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Why did Trump sanction Russian oil?
Oil prices have witnessed a sizeable jump since the sanctions were announced, with Brent crude rising by 5% – the biggest daily percentage gains since the middle of June.
In other developments, Lithuania has claimed that two Russian military aircraft briefly entered its airspace yesterday.
A Su-30 fighter and Il-78 refuelling tanker were in the NATO member’s territory for 18 seconds, and Spanish jets were scrambled in response to the incident.
Russia’s defence ministry denied this – and said its planes did not violate the borders of any other country during a “training flight” in the Kaliningrad region.
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Zelenskyy tells Sky News ‘ceasefire is still possible’
Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended a European Council summit in Brussels to discuss the war in Ukraine – and said the meeting had delivered “good results”.
He said Ukraine had secured political support for frozen Russian assets and “their maximum use” to defend against Russian aggression, adding the EU would “work out all the necessary details”.
Mr Zelenskyy thanked the bloc for approving its 19th sanctions package against Russia earlier today, and work was already beginning on a 20th.
European leaders are going to arrive in London later today for a “critical” meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” – with the goal of discussing “how they can pile pressure on Putin as he continues to kill innocent civilians with indiscriminate attacks across Ukraine”.
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How will the Russian oil sanctions affect petrol costs?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The only person involved in this conflict who does not want to stop the war is President Putin, and his depraved strikes on young children in a nursery this week make that crystal clear.
“Time and again we offer Putin the chance to end his needless invasion, to stop the killing and recall his troops, but he repeatedly rejects those proposals and any chance of peace.
“From the battlefield to the global markets, as Putin continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine we must ratchet up the pressure on Russia and build on President Trump’s decisive action.”