UK on high alert as royal residence prepares for state visit and funeral in the same week
Buckingham Palace has made last-minute changes to security arrangements as it prepares to host Donald Trump and Melania Trump for a long-anticipated state visit on Tuesday.
The couple will be welcomed with full ceremonial honours, including a state banquet, as the UK government seeks to strengthen ties with the US amid rising global tensions. The visit coincides with preparations for the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent, making it a particularly sensitive week on the royal calendar.
According to The Mirror, new security measures have been introduced around Windsor Castle and along the Long Walk following worrying developments in the US, where Trump ally Charlie Kirk was recently shot at a university in Utah.
Over 100 United States Secret Service agents are expected to accompany the former president, alongside MI5 officers monitoring potential threats from lone attackers and underground political groups.
A security source said: “Any sort of disruption of his visit by demonstrators, even if it is just spray paint, would be a coup for them, so everything will be as tight as it can possibly be.”
Anti-Trump demonstrators are also reportedly planning a “Trump Not Welcome” protest to coincide with his arrival in London.
