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.”
