When the Trumps finally touched the British ground for their long-anticipated state visit, the first lady beamed at Buckingham Palace in a striking ensemble customized just for her.
During a welcome ceremony with Queen Elizabeth, Melania Trump wore a fitted white Dolce & Gabbana knee-length skirt suit with a contrasting navy blue at her collar, belt, shoes and her stylish wide-brimmed hat by one of her favorite designers, Herve Pierre.
For the lavish state banquet hosted by the Queen, Melania switched to a close-fitting sleeveless creamy white dress with moderate see-through design. She also wore her hair in an elegant updo and donned white opera gloves.
On June 2, First Lady Melania Trump departed Washington wearing a dress inspired by many of London’s famous landmarks.
The first lady’s choice of dress, a silk midi dress from Gucci, is a nod to the most populated English metropolis, as the dress is adorned with orange and green illustrations of iconic locations in London, including Big Ben and London Bridge.
The dress, which is priced at $4,400, also features the famous London double-decker bus in the print and gold tone buttons of the brand. The first lady completed the look with a green wide belt and beige stiletto pumps.
The Trumps landed in London, along with the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and two of his top advisers on June 3.
After landing, President Trump wrote on Twitter, “I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit.”
They were greeted by a smiling Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.
The President of the United States and Mrs Trump are welcomed by The Queen on the West Terrace of Buckingham Palace. #USStateVisit pic.twitter.com/jJjx7JhzB8
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 3, 2019
During the palace welcome ceremony, Trump and Prince Charles inspected the Guard of Honor formed by the Grenadier Guards wearing their traditional bearskin hats. Royal gun salutes were fired from nearby Green Park and from the Tower of London as part of the pageantry accompanying an official state visit, one of the highest honors Britain can bestow on a foreign leader.
The centerpiece of the president’s visit will be two days to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the 1944 battle will see.
The anniversary events will begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move to Normandy, France, where Allied forces began to recapture Western Europe from the Nazis.
On June 3, the Queen gave the Trumps a tour of the Royal Collection, one of the largest collections of art and other objects in the world. She also gifted President Trump a three-piece Duofold pen set using an obsidian design that was made exclusively for the queen, and a specially commissioned silver box with a handcrafted enamel lid to Melania.
The Associated Press and Epoch Times reporter Janita Kan contributed to this report.
