Monarch and former U.S. President visit Scotland separately ahead of scheduled State Visit in September
King Charles III has touched down in Scotland for a key royal engagement, just days after Donald Trump arrived in the country for his own multi-day visit. Despite both figures being on Scottish soil at the same time, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that no meeting will take place between the two during this trip.
On Monday, 28 July, the King travelled to Caithness on Scotland’s north coast to take part in a significant event hosted by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The occasion marked three major milestones: the 70th anniversary of the Dounreay Nuclear site, the 50th anniversary of Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited, and the 20th anniversary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority itself. Dounreay was once the UK’s hub for fast reactor research and remains one of the country’s largest nuclear clean-up projects.
Meanwhile, Trump has been on a separate itinerary across Scotland since 25 July, with planned visits to his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen. His engagements also included meetings with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney.
Despite speculation, Buckingham Palace had previously announced that a meeting between the King and Trump was not scheduled during their time in Scotland, citing scheduling conflicts as the reason. However, the two leaders are expected to meet formally during Trump’s upcoming State Visit to the United Kingdom, set to take place from 17 to 19 September.
A palace statement confirmed that “the President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump, accompanied by First Lady Mrs. Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom.”
