Donald Trump will come to Britain for second state visit as he accepts personal invitation from King Charles

27 February 2025, 17:36 | Updated: 27 February 2025, 18:37

Donald Trump has accepted a personal invitation from King Charles for a historic second state visit to the UK.

Meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer was seen to hand an envelope to the US President, with the letter marked "private and confidential".

Handing of the invite, the Prime Minister said: "This is from the King... thas never happened before, this is unprecedented".

An almost theatrical display, Starmer was seen to produce the letter from his jacket pocket before handing it to Trump - having previously voiced his admiration for the British royal family in the past.

Responding instantly, Trump said: "The answer is yes - and we look forward to being there and honouring the king".

It comes ahead of a formal dinner between the UK and US leaders later this evening.

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Speaking from the Oval Office in front of waiting media, Mr Trump added: "It would be an honour to be there".

Sir Keir Starmer's trip to Washington comes as the future of Ukraine hangs in the balance, with the PM shaking hands with Trump on the steps of the White House.

The PM is set to warn a reluctant Trump that Ukraine needs a US security guarantee for lasting peace with Russia.

Moments before the letter exchange, the US President had extended a warm welcome to the PM: "It's a great honour to have Prime Minister Starmer at the Oval Office.

"It's a very special place, and he's a special man – and the United Kingdom is a wonderful country that I know very well, I'm there a lot."

The Prime Minister's visit forms part of a 24hour whirlwind visit to the US, with Trump and Starmer meeting in Washington DC for the pair's first face-to-face meeting at the White House.

The pair were seen to say a cordial hello sealed with a handshake, before addressing the press from the steps of the White House on Thursday.

It follows Mr Trump's vow that he would not provide security guarantees "beyond very much", insisting it was for Europeans to protect Ukraine.

Sir Keir is prepared to commit British troops to a peacekeeping mission but believes that US promises are vital to "deter Putin from coming again".

The visit comes days after announcing Britain would finally hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent by 2027.

On the way over, the PM went against the US President’s comments appearing to suggest that Ukraine had started the war.And the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky announced he would come to London on Sunday for a post-Paris summit in a bid to secure a peace deal.He’ll be flying to Washington on Friday to sign an expected mineral deal pact.The prime minister also:

• Insisted he won’t be answering to Putin on a potential peacekeeping mission
• Wouldn’t rule out spending cash for the Chagos islands deal as part of hiking defence spending - as David Lammy said the deal wouldn’t go ahead if the President didn’t like it
• Promised the special relationship between the UK and US would go from strength to strength
• Dodged questions on whether he would be prepared to offer Donald Trump an unprecedented second state visit
• Pleaded with the US President for US security help - or warned Putin will come back for more

This breaking news story is being updated.