Trump to meet Queen, May on visit next week to Britain

LONDON - US President Donald Trump will meet Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Theresa May at separate meetings on his visit next week to Britain, it was announced Friday.

The US President itinerary will avoid central London where hundreds of thousands of people are expected at a rally to protest about his visit.

American and British officials insisted his program had not been deliberately arranged to avoid protest areas.

US ambassador to Britain Woody Johnson told media in London there was no deliberate plan to keep Mr. Trump out of the capital or away from protests, saying the president was focused on his objectives.

Trump is due to arrive on Thursday afternoon, straight from the NATO summit.

The Prime Minister will host Trump and the First Lady for a black tie dinner at Blenheim Palace on Thursday evening. Blenheim is famed as the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Guests at the dinner include leaders from business sectors including representatives from financial services, the travel industry, creative industries, the food and drink sector, engineering, tech, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and defense.

During the dinner, the Countess of Wessex's Orchestra will perform a series of classic British and American hits.

At the end of the dinner, the US President and his wife will be ceremoniously piped out by the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

On Friday morning, Trump and May will visit a defense site to witness a demonstration of the UK's military capabilities and integrated UK-US military training. They will then travel to Chequers, May's country retreat, for bilateral talks on a range of foreign policy issues.

Later on Friday, Trump and his wife will travel to Windsor Castle to meet Queen Elizabeth.

On Friday evening, the President and the First Lady will travel to Scotland where they will spend the weekend.