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It’s well known that Donald Trump has extraordinarily lavish tastes, you just need to take one look at First Lady Melania’s wardrobe to see that evidenced in extremis. Now, the cost of his three-day UK stay in June last year has been made public knowledge, and it cost £435,000 of public money according to new government data.



According to the Times, that’s three times the cost of the next most expensive visit to the UK by a head of state between the summers of 2018 and 2019. Many will remember that Mr Trump’s visit entailed a state banquet in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace as well as a visit to Portsmouth for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.



The costs of the trip can be broken down into categories, those being ‘security’, ‘entertainment’, ‘accommodation’ and ‘transport’. Far and above the greatest expenditure was on security; the Metropolitan Police spent almost £3.5 million on his protection, which involved 6,300 officers. Mr Trump was met by tens of thousands of protesters in the capital, many will remember the large inflatable baby that floated high in the sky and was modelled on Trump.

The designers First Lady Melania Trump has worn on the state visit to London Fashion The designers First Lady Melania Trump has worn on the state visit to London


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When Donald Trump dined with the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace Royals When Donald Trump dined with the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace



Reportedly almost £100,000 was spent on entertainment, more than double the £45,320 spent by Whitehall for the King of the Netherlands during a two-day state visit in October 2018. At the banquet, guests feasted on halibut, Windsor lamb and strawberry sable and enjoyed fine wines including Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1990, despite the fact that President Trump is teetotal.



More than £31,700 was reportedly spent on accommodation costs associated with the trip. The President is understood to have booked a floor of the luxurious Corinthia Hotel in Westminster – which does a spectacular afternoon tea – for his entourage. Whereas, Trump and Melania, 49, stayed at Winfield House, the US ambassador’s residence in Regent’s Park, central London.



Indeed, part of the hospitality tab was picked up by the US administration. Mr Trump hosted a dinner at the ambassador’s residence, at which Prince Charles was the guest of honour, on one night of his state visit. Whitehall spent considerably more on Trump than any other – and ten times the amount of a three-day trip by the president of Afghanistan less than a fortnight later.

Inside Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner at Winfield House Royals Inside Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner at Winfield House


The Foreign and Commonwealth Office told the i newspaper that: ‘Costs for State and Guest of Government visits vary depending on the rank of the principal [guest], the length of visit, numbers in the delegation and individual programme requirements.’

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