It is also unclear whether Trump will have the opportunity to speak to parliamentarians, which is often included in the choreography of a state visit. The House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Trump's visit as it will be in recess for party conference season - but the House of Lords will be in session. In February, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented Trump with a letter from the King inviting him for the visit at the White House. As the pair were sitting next to each other in the Oval Office, Trump said it was a "great, great honour", adding: "And that says at Windsor - that's really something." The state visit will come several months after the King visited Canada, where he opened the country's parliament to mark the official start of Prime Minister Mark Carney's leadership. Many Canadians saw the King's two-day visit to Ottawa in May as a symbol of support for the country after Trump imposed tariffs on one of its largest trading partners and threatened to make it the 51st US state. The lure of a state visit for Trump has the potential to be a powerful tool of soft diplomacy by the British government towards a president who is an ardent monarchist. Speaking in April, he said: "I'm a friend of Charles, I have great respect for King Charles and the family, William. We have really just a great respect for the family." The invitation came as Sir Keir sought to influence Trump over the war in Ukraine and lessen the tariffs placed on UK exports to the US - both issues that continue to dominate the so-called special relationship. The US president is expected to be in Scotland later this month for the opening of his new golf course in Aberdeenshire. It had initially been thought that the King and Trump would meet informally during that trip. But it is understood that there were logistical challenges surrounding the dates and there will be no private meeting ahead of his September visit.