LONDON — Melania Trump boarded Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews, Md., in a floor-length Burberry trenchcoat for her two-day state visit to the U.K. with U.S. President Donald Trump, which began Wednesday.
The first lady started her first day of official engagement in a dark gray Christian Dior haute couture suit with matching pumps and a violet wool hat with a broad brim that was reminiscent of her Inauguration Day hat from Eric Javits.
In the evening, Trump opted for a crepe off-the-shoulder column gown in sunflower from Carolina Herrera with a bright lilac silk belt with a covered belt buckle and light lilac frosted pumps from Manolo Blahnik.
Melania Trump in Carolina Herrera.
Getty Images
This wasn’t the first lady’s first time wearing pieces from the two fashion houses.
In 2020, Trump wore a white Carolina Herrera dress with colorful stripes in India and in 2018, she met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in a white Christian Dior suit with nude pumps.
She also wore a red Christian Dior suit in 2017 to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, First Lady Brigitte Macron.
At Windsor Castle, the Trumps were greeted by Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
The couple were given a tour of St. George’s Chapel, where many royal engagements have taken place, including the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Trumps with Queen Elizabeth II.
POOL/AFP via Getty Images
This is the Trumps’ second state visit to the U.K. and the welcome from the public has been far from warm in central London, where protesters marched with banners opposing his visit.
The last time President Trump visited was in 2018, pre-COVID-19 and before the wars and crises in Ukraine and the Middle East. It was a different time in America, too, with Trump more obsessed with building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border than with tariffs on imports.
The stakes are particularly high for U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, too. He personally delivered the king’s invitation to the president during a visit to Washington, D.C. in February and, in doing so, helped the U.K. swerve the worst of the president’s tariffs.