Trump and Starmer to Seal Tech Pact at Chequers on Final Day of State Visit
After two days of glittering royal ceremonies and formal banquets, the final act of Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain shifts to Chequers, the prime minister’s countryside retreat.
Here, the US president will sit down with Keir Starmer for talks expected to shape the future of UK-US cooperation in technology and investment.
The spectacle of Windsor Castle has given way to the quieter Buckinghamshire hills.
Having bid farewell to King Charles III and Queen Camilla with warm words, calling Charles “a great gentleman, and a great king”, Trump heads to Chequers, where the business of politics begins.
The leaders are preparing to sign a landmark “tech prosperity deal”, paving the way for billions in investment across AI, nuclear energy, and digital infrastructure.
Much of the agenda centres on tech and nuclear agreements that both sides hope will strengthen long-term partnerships.
The agreement is pitched as a jobs generator, promising growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
Yet not all discussions will be straightforward. Steel tariffs remain unresolved. So too, the thorny questions of Ukraine and the Middle East, where Starmer has pushed for firmer US support.
Diplomacy, of course, is never just about policy. The prime minister has gone to great lengths to offer symbolic gifts.
Trump will receive a traditional red ministerial box, embossed with the presidential seal, a nod to the “special relationship.”
A picnic basket filled with homemade jams and shortbread made from produce grown at Chequers will add a personal, distinctly English touch.
For Melania Trump, Starmer has chosen a silk scarf designed from artwork by Ukrainian children, a tribute to her advocacy on their behalf.
While her husband prepared for talks, the First Lady enjoyed a more genteel itinerary. Queen Camilla explored Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, said to be the largest in the world, before visiting the Royal Library to meet schoolchildren.
Later, she was joined by the Princess of Wales at Frogmore Gardens, greeting Squirrel Scouts aged just four to six.
The pageantry reached its peak on Wednesday evening at Windsor Castle. Beefeaters stood guard as dignitaries filed into St George’s Hall, where the grand Waterloo table glistered with 1,462 pieces of tableware in the night.
Seasonal flowers, lately cut from castle grounds, filled the air with afterlife scents. Guests dined on a menu paired with wines similar to Ridge Station’s Monte Bello 2000 and Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve 1998.
Tech leaders, athletes, and political heavyweights participated at the table with the Trumps and royals.
This marks the second time Donald Trump has been hosted on a UK state visit, an honour never before extended to any foreign leader.
The event coincided with Google’s $5 billion investment in Britain, a move that underscores the country’s growing role in the global tech sector.
For Starmer, it is a chance to cement his standing on the international stage while navigating sensitive global crises.
As the day closes at Chequers, the focus will be on whether the Chequers Prime Minister can balance diplomacy with determinatio,n ensuring Britain’s partnership with Washington is both enduring and forward-looking.
