First Lady Melania Trump toured Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House at Windsor Castle with Queen Camilla on September 18, 2025, while President Donald Trump held political discussions with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers. The separate itineraries during the final day of the president’s state visit to the United Kingdom drew criticism from some quarters regarding the traditional gender roles assigned during diplomatic visits.
The first lady joined Queen Camilla for a morning engagement at Windsor Castle, where they viewed what the Royal Collection describes as “the largest and most famous dolls’ house in the world.” The miniature residence was built in the 1920s for Queen Mary, wife of King George V, and was designed by leading architect Edwin Lutyens with contributions from more than 1,500 artists and craftspeople.
During their tour of the royal library, the queen and first lady examined miniature books created for the dolls’ house, including works such as “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson and a recipe book by Queen Camilla’s son, Tom Parker Bowles. The queen showed Trump some of the miniature books, including one featuring Parker Bowles’ recipe for roast chicken and roast potatoes. They also viewed other books in the library, including Queen Elizabeth II’s copy of “Alice in Wonderland.”
Following her engagement with Queen Camilla, Melania Trump joined Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Frogmore Gardens for their first-ever joint public outing. The two women met with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and 20 members of the Scouts’ Squirrel program, the organization’s youngest group for children aged four to five. The children were participating in nature activities to earn their “Go Wild” badges.
Catherine organized a special packed lunch for the children that contained sandwiches made with honey from her Norfolk home. During the outing, Trump was seen sitting on the grass speaking with children about their art projects. A young girl took the first lady’s hand and led her to a table where other children were building “bug hotels” from cardboard and tubes. When asked about her favorite insect, Trump replied, “a ladybug.”
Fields indicated the event was particularly meaningful for the young participants, noting that having the princess and the first lady present would be something special for them to remember in years to come. He emphasized that both women strongly believe in the work of the scouts movement and appreciated the opportunity to showcase scouting at its spiritual home where it all began.
Meanwhile, President Trump departed Windsor Castle after bidding farewell to King Charles III with a Guard of Honour ceremony in the Castle Quadrangle. He then traveled to Chequers, Starmer’s official country residence in Buckinghamshire, where the two leaders discussed pressing international issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as trade relations.
The leaders announced a technology partnership deal potentially worth up to 250 billion pounds, with investments in artificial intelligence and nuclear power. Trump claimed his visit had secured 350 billion dollars in deals for American interests. During their joint press conference, both leaders expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, with Trump stating that Putin had disappointed him personally.
The contrasting schedules sparked commentary from observers about traditional diplomatic protocols. Rebecca Reid, writing for The i Paper, criticized the arrangement, questioning why the women were relegated to viewing dollhouses while their husbands discussed matters of national importance. She argued that the optics reinforced outdated gender roles in diplomatic settings and suggested the women could have engaged in more meaningful activities.
For her engagements, Melania Trump wore a caramel brown leather skirt suit with floral embroidered lapels and a scalloped hemline, paired with nude textured pumps by Manolo Blahnik. Later, she changed into a suede brown belted Ralph Lauren jacket with cropped cream pants and nude leather ballet flats for the scouting event.
The visit concluded with the Trumps departing from Stansted Airport aboard Air Force One on the evening of September 18, 2025, marking the end of an unprecedented second state visit by a U.S. president to the United Kingdom. The three-day visit included ceremonial events, a state banquet at Windsor Castle, and various diplomatic engagements between the two nations.
