DONALD Trump has been invited to King Charles's estate in Scotland to discuss the plans for an "even better" state visit.
The US president accepted the invitation to visit the UK in the “near future” as he met the Prime Minister at the White House.
Trump and Starmer are meeting for crunch talks on Ukraine, trade and technology, with the Prime Minister set to push his US counterpart on the idea of a US “backstop” for any peace deal with Kyiv.
Starmer handed Trump a letter from the King as the two were facing cameras in the Oval Office ahead of the more in-depth talks.
Trump showed the letter, marked “private and confidential” and featuring Charles’s signature, to the cameras gathered in the Oval Office.
Starmer said: “So, this is a letter from His Majesty the King, it’s an invitation for a second state visit.
“This is really special. This has never happened before. This is unprecedented and I think that just symbolises the strength of the relationship between us – so this is a very special letter.
“I think the last state visit was a tremendous success – His Majesty the King wants to make this even better than that."
The King suggested he and Trump could meet before that visit, either at Dumfries House or Balmoral, which are near the businessman’s golf courses in Scotland, to discuss the plans for the much grander state visit.
The letter, partially obscured by Trump’s hand, reads: “I can only say that it would be … pleasure to extend that invitation once again, in the hope that you … some stage be visiting Turnberry and a detour to a relatively near neighbour might not cause you too much inconvenience. An alternative might perhaps be for you to visit Balmoral…
“There is much on both estates which I think you might find interesting, and enjoy – particularly as my foundation at Dumfries House provides hospitality skills-training for young people who often end up as staff on your own establishments!”
Trump was also hosted by the late Queen on a state visit during his first term in office in 2019, but precedent for second-term US presidents who have already made a state visit is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.
Trump also said he is “inclined to go along with” the UK’s Chagos Islands deal and said they would be having discussions about the deal during their meeting.
He added: “I have a feeling it’s going to work out very well.”
Indicating he would be inclined to back the Prime Minister’s deal, the president said: “I think we’ll be inclined to go along with your country.”
Trump had greeted Starmer with a warm handshake as he arrived minutes earlier and said that “we can” reach a peace deal on Ukraine, when asked by reporters.
The two then entered the White House followed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the UK’s ambassador to the US, Lord Peter Mandelson.
Greeting the Prime Minister inside the White House, Trump said it was a “great honour” to have Starmer visit.
“It’s a very special place and he’s a special man – and the United Kingdom is a wonderful country that I know very well, I’m there a lot," he said.
“I’ll be going there and we expect to see each other in the near future – we’ll be announcing it."
Trump said: “We’re going to be discussing many things today, we’re going to be discussing Russia/Ukraine, we’ll be discussing trade and lots of other items, and I think we can say we are going to be getting along on every one of them.
“We’ve had a tremendous relationship and, frankly, the Prime Minister and I have met twice before, and we get along very famously, as you would say, and I look forward to it very much.
“We look forward to the day and the meeting, and we’ll be having a luncheon after this, and then another work session, and I believe we’re going to have a press conference at the end – so I look forward to it and, Mr Prime Minister, thank you very much.”
