Catherine, Princess of Wales, will host First Lady Melania Trump for a joint engagement at Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Gardens on September 18, marking a rare public appearance for both intensely private women as part of broader diplomatic efforts to strengthen UK-US relations during the Trump administration’s second term.
The special appearance will take place following a state visit by President Donald Trump and the First Lady, who will be hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Windsor Castle from September 17-18. The visit represents a change from the initially planned informal Scottish trip, with formal planning now underway for the full state visit.
During their joint engagement, the Princess and First Lady will meet with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program as they learn about nature to achieve their “Go Wild” badge. The Princess of Wales has served as joint president of the Scout Association since 2020, underscoring her commitment to youth initiatives and conservation programs.
The state visit will begin with full ceremonial honors on September 17, including a carriage procession through the Windsor estate accompanied by the King, Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. However, the spectacle will be confined to Home Park, with no opportunity for public viewing, contrasting with French President Emmanuel Macron’s July visit that featured flag-waving crowds through Windsor’s streets.
A formal welcome ceremony will take place on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle, featuring a flypast by UK and US F-35 military jets and the Red Arrows, followed by a military ceremony. The visit will include a lavish state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday evening, with Buckingham Palace currently closed for renovations.
Both women have made children’s well-being a central focus of their public roles. The First Lady has rarely appeared during her husband’s second term but has privately played an influential role, including sending a letter to President Vladimir Putin appealing to end the war in Ukraine. The Princess has maintained a lighter schedule of royal engagements, undertaking a phased return to her duties after cancer treatment, though she announced in January that she was in remission.
Melania Trump will also participate in a separate engagement with Queen Camilla, touring Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House and the Royal Library at Windsor Castle. This marks the second state visit for the American leader, who previously visited in 2019 during his first term when he was welcomed to Windsor Castle and hosted at a banquet inside Buckingham Palace.
The event represents a significant moment for the Princess of Wales’ rising diplomatic role as she works to build relationships in an increasingly complex era for US diplomacy. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer deployed the power of the royal family early in President Trump’s second term, delivering a letter from the King to Trump in the Oval Office.
This will not mark the first time the Princess has appeared alongside a US First Lady. Kate met with Jill Biden in 2021, visiting a school in Cornwall during the G7 summit to highlight early childhood education. The two women later co-authored an opinion piece for CNN declaring that both the US and UK should make fundamental changes in how their countries approach the earliest years of life.
The Princess also previously met with the Obama family, memorably introducing a young Prince George clad in a bathrobe at Kensington Palace in 2016. President Trump has publicly expressed his affinity for the royal family, particularly the late Queen Elizabeth II, and will lay a wreath on her grave during the state visit.
The relationship between King Charles and President Trump dates back to the 1980s, when Charles had tea at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence during a Palm Beach trip. The two have regularly exchanged letters, with Charles even writing to express condolences after Trump was shot during a Pennsylvania rally in July. Sources have described their relationship as close, with Charles undertaking hosting duties during Trump’s 2019 visit.
Prince William will play a major role throughout the state visit, helping to host the visitors alongside his father and stepmother. The Prince of Wales has taken on a larger diplomatic role since his father became King in 2022, and Trump has previously described him as doing a fantastic job.
The joint appearance in Frogmore Gardens represents a diplomatic tool that supersedes political disagreements in favor of collaborative charitable and educational initiatives for youth and families. The format allows focus on tangible projects for youth volunteering and education while strengthening intergovernmental ties amid global challenges.
