THE prospect of Donald Trump visiting the Queen at Balmoral in summer during his forthcoming state visit has been raised as the UK Government seeks to avoid any embarrassing protest at Westminster by MPs.

Officials are said to be trying to organise the four-day state visit when the Commons and Lords are in recess in order to avoid completely the controversial issue of the US President addressing both Houses of Parliament, an honour afforded to some of his predecessors like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Furthermore, any state visit when Westminster is not sitting will also avoid the need for Mr Trump to call at the House of Commons to have meetings with the leaders of the two main opposition parties - Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn and the SNP’s Angus Robertson - which protocol usually dictates takes place.

Earlier this week, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, let slip that officials were looking at some time “around June” and that Scotland Yard was gearing up for large-scale protests that could set the taxpayer back millions of pounds in police cover.

Sir Bernard’s reference suggested a visit during the Whitsun parliamentary recess, which runs from May 25 to June 5.

However, Westminster sources have now suggested that a visit during the summer recess, taking place towards the end of August or beginning of September, is now under active discussion between the UK Government, Buckingham Palace and the White House.

One source described such a plan as “the preferred option at our end”.

Given the scale of the likely protests against Mr Trump expected for London, it has been suggested that officials would want the US President to spend as little time in the UK capital as possible with the state banquet possibly being held at Windsor Castle instead of the usual venue of Buckingham Palace and that, in this regard, the US President's Scottish connection could provide a convenient solution.

Apart from owning golf courses at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and at Balmedie north of Aberdeen, Mr Trump's links to Scotland also includes his late mother, Mary MacLeod, hailing from the Isle of Lewis.

Whitehall insiders have already made clear that a trip by Mr Trump to Scotland during the state visit is a “no-brainer”. It is also thought that if the US President crossed the border to visit his “beloved Scotland,” then a meeting with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would be regarded by the White House as appropriate.

Any visit towards the end of August or early September would coincide with the Queen and Prince Philip’s regular summer visit to Balmoral.

Reports last month suggested Mr Trump was keen to visit Her Majesty’s Highland estate to enjoy a round of golf on its private nine-hole course.

Alex Salmond, the former First Minister, has already described the possibility of the US President visiting Royal Deeside as “quite likely”.

Earlier this month, the Gordon MP said: "If you come to London in current circumstances or with another embarrassment, there will be hundreds of thousands certainly, maybe more, people in the streets.

"They will see Balmoral as a much, much safer option because even in Scotland, even from my constituency which is adjacent to Balmoral in the north east of Scotland, it takes me a good two hours to get there from my house.

"So I reckon they think Balmoral is a much better option to try and minimise the protesters. But, believe me if it was Balmoral, if it's London, if it's Timbuktu, he'll be met by very substantial protests," added Mr Salmond.

Today in Edinburgh, a protest against the US President has been organised by the Scotland Against Trump group, which will include a march past the US Consulate. Speakers at a rally are set to include Aamer Anwar, the leading human rights lawyer.