Today, President Donald Trump kicked off his state visit to the United Kingdom. He is accompanied on this trip by First Lady Melania Trump, and a few other members of his family including his son Eric and Eric's wife Lara, his daughter Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner.
Ivanka arrived in London over the weekend, before the official state visit program started. On June 1, the senior adviser to the president posted on Twitter that she was heading across the pond, and yesterday, Ivanka shared a photo of herself and a friend posing outside the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
After touring the city, Ivanka got back to business this morning. As Donald and Melania were officially welcomed by the Queen, Ivanka tweeted about the trip once again, confirming her attendance as a member of the delegation from the United States: "I am looking forward to joining the US delegation for this commemorative visit."
Some consider Ivanka's presence on the trip to be unusual, but there is a history of first children attending state visits to the United Kingdom. As royal watcher Gert's Royals first pointed out, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia brought his children on a state visit back in 2016. Clarence House even shared a photo of Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall with Santos, his wife, and their children during the visit.
Earlier today, Ivanka and Jared watched the official welcome event at Buckingham Palace from a balcony. The Queen, Prince Charles, and Camilla greeted the president and first lady on the West Terrace of the palace, and then they attended a welcome ceremony on the palace lawn. Ivanka and Jared were perched above watching the entire event.
The Trumps then attended a private lunch at the Palace, which Prince Harry also joined. Later in the day, President Trump visited Westminster Abbey with Prince Andrew, and attended a tea at Clarence House with Prince Charles and Camilla.
Finally, the group arrived at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, where Ivanka wore a blue floral gown. Ivanka sat next to Sophie, Countess of Wessex during the formal dinner.
We've got every detail on Trump's state visit (and on the controversy causing protests and demonstrations across the United Kingdom) here.
Maggie Maloney is the Site Director of Oprah Daily. She previously worked at Town & Country, Elle DECOR, and Something Navy.
