By Luke Alsford
Copyright metro
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump will hold talks on Thursday during the unprecedented second state visit (Picture: REUTERS)
It’s the geopolitical ‘bromance’ which everyone loves to gossip about.
The UK-US alliance has been described as having nothing other than a ‘special relationship’ for close to 80 years.
It is under the spotlight once again with Donald Trump making an unprecedented second state visit to the UK this week.
As with every other encounter between PM and President, it will be closely watched for any signs of a split as the pair discuss important international issues such as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Follow our live blog for updates on Donald Trump’s UK visit
The personal dynamics between US and UK leaders is always tightly under the spotlight (Picture: Paul Hackett – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
It is not just political, either. The Royal Family have played a crucial role befriending US leaders.
The King and Queen will do the same this time around as they greet Trump at Windsor Castle and take him on a carriage ride around the grounds.
Their meeting comes as just over a third (36%) of Britons said they have faith in the US-UK alliance, a new Ipsos poll revealed.
But what is the ‘special relationship’ and what does it mean for the UK? Metro takes a look at this geopolitical friendship.
When did the UK’s relationship with the US begin?
Things didn’t always start off so friendly between the two countries.
The US once launched a bloody war of independence back in 1776 to detach from the British Empire, followed by another brutal conflict decades later.
But things began to change in the 20th century when the pair teamed up to fight two world wars together.
Churchill coined the phrase ‘special relationship’ while he and Truman faced the Cold War (Picture: CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
The word ‘special’ wasn’t thrown into the mix until when a certain Winston Churchill was warning about the looming Cold War.
In his famous 1946 speech in Missouri he declared an ‘Iron Curtain’ had fallen across Europe and said the special relationship was crucial to saving the West.
What benefits does the ‘special relationship’ have?
The close alliance is not just about personal friendships and fancy banquets.
The two countries have developed a deep network of cooperation on intelligence, defence and security.
This has included joint participation in wars in Korea in the 1950s and against Iraq and Afghanistan.
The UK also buys their nuclear weapons technology from the US to build its own submarines and warheads.
UK and US troops work side-by-side as leading members of NATO (Picture: AP)
It is not all one way traffic, however. The UK’s formidable intelligence services are also extremely valuable across the pond.
The two countries belong to the intelligence sharing partnership known ‘Five Eyes’ alongside Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
They are leading participants in the NATO security alliance and both are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.
British PMs and US presidents also meet at G7 and G20 summits of leading global economies.
This makes sense because both nations are among the world’s largest economies.
The US is also the UK’s single largest trading partner, generating hundreds of billions of pounds worth of trade.
Which UK and US leaders enjoyed the closest relationship?
Reagan and Thatcher were personal friends and political soulmates (Picture: REUTERS)
While much of the ‘special relationship’ happens behind the scenes, the bond between prime ministers and presidents often symbolise how well the two allies are working together.
Things never looked better than when Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were in charge.
The two were conservative political soulmates and elected just one year apart, in 1979 and 1980 respectively.
The pair became ‘dear friends’, with the British PM even calling her counterpart ‘the second most important man in my life’ after her husband.
Thatcher and Reagan were often snapped dancing together at glamourous balls or riding golf caddies together.
The friends also forged a crucial partnership in tackling international issues and bringing an end to the Cold War.
Thatcher was one of the first world leaders to persuade Reagan to trust Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
George Bush developed an influential relationship with Tony Blair and received the Queen on a state visit (Picture: Fiona Hanson/PA Wire)
While the bond between their success waned in the following decade, it was picked up again by Tony Blair and US President George Bush.
The two were unlikely friends from two different sides of the political aisle, but came steadfast friends after the US was rocked by 9/11.
Blair was a strong ally of Bush’s push to go to war in Iraq, which saw the PM labelled a ‘poodle’ of the US leader.
What is the schedule for Trump’s second state visit to the UK?
September 16
The president and first lady will both arrive in the evening and be greeted on behalf of the King by the US ambassador and Lord-in-Waiting Viscount Hood.
Trump is not expected to be in the public eye for the evening, which he will spend in private on the Windsor estate.
September 17
The following morning, the president and first lady will be formally welcomed by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
They will also meet the Prince and Princess of Wales before watching a military procession, including servicemen from the Royal Air Force, Royal Marines and the Army.
The president and the King will inspect the Guard of Honour, before Trump joins the royal family in the state dining room.
Police officers carrying out security searches outside Windsor Castle on Monday (Picture: AP)
Later in the day, Trump is set to visit the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II at St George’s Chapel, where he will lay a wreath and hear a performance from the chapel choir.
A flypast will also take place, featuring F-35 jets from the UK and US forces, as well as the RAF aerobatic team or the Red Arrows.
Gun salutes will also be fired from the east lawn on the estate and from the Tower of London.
Both Trump and the King will give speeches at the traditional state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday evening.
September 18
On Thursday, Trump will travel to the PM’s country home, Chequers, where he’ll be met by more military pomp and ceremony in the form of bagpipers and a guard of honour from RAF Hilton.
The president will be treated to a viewing of Sir Winston Churchill’s before a one-to-one meeting with Sir Keir.
He will attend a dinner reception hosted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves.
While her husband is meeting political leaders, Melania will stay at Windsor where she will receive tours of the Royal Library and Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
She will then meet members of the Scouts’ Squirrels programme and Chief Scout Dwayne Fields at Frogmore Cottage along with the Princess of Wales, who is president of the Scout association.
Both Melania and Kate will learn about nature as they join the group who are working towards their Go Wild badge.
What has Donald Trump and Keir Starmer said about the UK-US relationship?
Starmer and Trump have cut a trade deal while other nations face high tariffs (Picture: EPA)
Donald Trump has helped to revive talk of a ‘special relationship’.
Despite his ‘America First’ agenda, the US president’s mother was born in Scotland and he owns golf courses there.
This has given the Trump a personal affection for his roots. In a press conference in 2018, he described the UK-US bond as ‘the highest level of special’.
Trump was a keen supporter of Brexit and has dished out trade deals to the UK while ramping up tariffs across the world.
An agreement in May saw the US reduce tariffs on UK exports of cars, steel, aluminium, beef and various aerospace products.
Keir Starmer has re-committed the UK to the ‘special relationship’ and worked hard to keep Trump on-side since won the White House in November last year.
Starmer was the sixth world leader to visit Trump in the White House and had a special trick up his sleave to charm the president.
President Trump being presented with an invitation letter from the King to the state visit from Sir Keir Starmer (Picture: PA)
He handed out a ‘truly historic’ invitation for Trump to visit the UK on a second state visit.
Trump returned the praise, calling Starmer ‘a very, very special person’ while talked about the UK and US having a ‘special relationship, like no other, passed down through centuries’.
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