For two days, the Labour cabinet and the royal family raced to prepare a historic second state visit for the American president. From ceremonial parades and golden carriages drawn by white horses, to an air show and a particularly grand military ceremony.
"Everything has been done to make President Trump really feel like this is a special moment for him," says royal expert Emily Nash. "A Truman Show" for Donald Trump?
British journalists compared the whole endeavor to the "Truman Show" - because hundreds of people put in a huge effort to make Donald Trump feel like the whole world revolved around him. Like Truman, Trump was not supposed to face the reality of life outside the castle walls and steel fences of Windsor. The protests were held far away, in London.
Even King Charles refrained from speaking about climate change at a state banquet, as he usually does, but instead spoke about "the beauty of nature." Trump seemed blissful, the First Lady interested. "This is one of the greatest honors of my life," Trump said.
The goal of the US president heading into the political part of the state visit in the best possible mood was clearly achieved. At a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday afternoon, there were no caustic comments, lectures or gaffes.
Instead, Trump emphasized: "The bond between our countries is unique, it is unbreakable. We will be friends forever." Although their political beliefs are otherwise very far apart, on Thursday the atmosphere seemed almost friendly, and the otherwise unpredictable American president was calm.
Investment agreement - and what an agreement!
Success can also be expressed in numbers: £250 billion in investment will soon cross the Atlantic to the UK, Trump and Starmer announced at a joint press conference – of which around €170 billion comes from companies such as Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Palantir and Boeing.
Starmer called it "the largest investment of its kind in the country's history." Above all, in the areas of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy, the two countries now want to cooperate even more closely. This is sealed by the newly signed partnership in technology.
Critics, including Nick Clegg, a former politician and former head of communications at tech giant Meta, warn that the UK is becoming too dependent on the US and should develop its own technological infrastructure:
"We are a kind of vassal state technologically," Clegg said. "As soon as our tech companies start to grow or develop ambitions, they have to go to California, because we don't have the capital to grow here."
For Starmer on Thursday, however, the most important thing was that, according to him, the partnership would create 7.600 new jobs and bring economic growth.
The steel industry, however, could be disappointed. Plans to eliminate US tariffs on steel imports have been put on hold for now – even though the industry has been struggling financially for years.
Political differences in the background
Even on topics that usually cause more sparks, the two statesmen seemed to simply agree to disagree.
A reporter asked the US president what he thought about Britain's imminent recognition of a Palestinian state. "I disagree with the prime minister on that. It's actually one of the few things we disagree on," Trump said calmly - and they both nodded.
The American president made unusually clear statements when asked by a reporter about Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Yes, he let me down." The fact that Trump seemed to distance himself from Putin at that moment can be considered a small success by Starmer. But what specific commitment does the US take from this and whether this statement is more than just a momentary assessment - Trump did not want to specify.
Without interfering in internal politics
Trump's intervention in British domestic politics, which was feared during his two-day state visit, did not happen.
The British still remember his vice president, JD Vance, well, who during his last visit to the UK expressed concerns about freedom of speech in the country - a favorite trump card in the "culture wars" of the right-wing populist party Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage. They have had the best ratings for months and are squeezing the ruling Labour Party.
What Britons ultimately think of the two-day spectacle may only be seen after everyone has breathed a collective sigh of relief. Still, some in the polls acknowledge that, despite the US president's unpopularity, he is geopolitically important to Britain - and that the state visit was therefore somewhat necessary.
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