U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Tuesday for his unprecedented second state visit, greeted by King Charles III and the royal family at Windsor Castle with military honors and a lavish banquet, even as thousands protested in London against his policies.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump landed at Stansted Airport and proceeded to Windsor, where Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, met them before King Charles and Queen Camilla joined for a carriage procession through the castle grounds. The event featured the largest guard of honor in living memory—1,300 service personnel—a flypast by UK and U.S. F-35 jets, and a wreath-laying at Queen Elizabeth II's tomb in St. George's Chapel.

Trump, a vocal admirer of the monarchy, described the visit as "one of the highest honors of my life" during a state banquet toast, praising the "special relationship" between the nations that "does not begin to do it justice."

The pomp contrasted sharply with public dissent. Several thousand demonstrators from the Stop Trump Coalition marched through central London on Wednesday, waving placards reading "No to racism, no to Trump" and "Dump Trump," chanting against U.S. support for conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and Trump's environmental record. Police deployed 1,600 officers to manage the event, which remained peaceful but included a counter-protester met with boos.

Earlier, four arrests occurred after activists projected images of Trump with Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle's tower, highlighting scrutiny over his past ties to the late financier.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to capitalize on Trump's affinity for royalty to advance bilateral goals. Discussions at Chequers on Thursday will focus on geopolitics, including U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel, amid Starmer's push for deeper economic ties.