Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to Windsor Castle on Friday as protests against their visit raged across Britain.
Trump’s motorcade pulled up to Windsor Castle in the afternoon. The Queen was waiting at a dais to greet the Trumps after they stepped out of the vehicle. They observed a military display, then went inside for a private tea.
Trump had made it clear he was looking forward to his meet and greet with the monarch, who he described as a “tremendous woman” in an interview with The Sun. “I really look forward to meeting her. I think she represents her country so well.”
The Trumps landed in London on Thursday following a whirlwind visit to Brussels, where the president hammered NATO member states for not contributing enough to defense spending, then announced in a press conference that he got them to speed up their spending commitments ― a claim that countries debunked.
Despite lauding the strength of the U.S.-U.K. “special relationship,” Trump ruffled feathers only hours after arriving in Britain. He criticized U.K. leadership in the Sun interview, which happened to go to print while Prime Minister Theresa May was hosting the first couple at a gala Thursday evening.
Tens of thousands gathered across Britain to protest their visit. In London, the morning kicked off with a 20-foot blimp shaped like a baby Trump flying over Parliament. A series of mass demonstrations followed, with tens of thousands taking over central London’s busiest avenues.
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