Happy Wednesday Everyone! Hereâs Part 1 of the Special Royal Edition. Todayâs newsletter: 1,221 wordsâŚ4.6 mins
đ Todayâs Edition: Special Royal Edition: The Historic 2nd State Visit, Trumpâs Tribute To The Queen, The Gift Exchanges, Royal Fashion⌠& much more!
đ¨ Watch For:
The State Banquet Dinner at Windsor Castle: Tonight, Sep 17th
President Trump will meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, while First Lady Melania Trump will accompany Queen Camilla on a visit to Queen Maryâs Dollsâ House and the Royal Library: Sep 18th
đTHE HIGHLIGHT
One killer insight to stash in your back pocket
Clockwise from top-left: HM King Charles III shares a laugh with President Trump, The Red Arrows of the Royal Air Force make a dramatic flypast (first ever at a State Visit), The carriage procession to Windsor Castle, Their Majesties and the Trumps in the Windsor Castle Quadrangle observing/inspecting the guard.
The Royal Fairytale: Trumpâs Iconic Windsor Welcome
President Trump just scored the royal treatment of the century at Windsor Castle. This is absolutely historicâno U.S. president has ever been hosted for two UK state visits. The last State Visit was was under the reign of HM Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
đ The arrival: Trump and Melania helicoptered in by Marine One, onto the private grounds of the Windsor Estate - called the Walled Garden.
They were greeted by Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and later King Charles and Queen Camilla.
đ The procession: Next came a full ceremonial carriage procession all the way to Windsor Castle.
King Charles III rode with President Trump in a gilded Irish State Coach
Queen Camilla was joined by First Lady Melania in the Scottish State Coach
They were followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales in the State Landau
They were flanked by 80 Household Cavalry in plumed helmets and lined by troops from the Royal Navy, Marines, Army, and RAF. Three military bands blasted classics while 1,300 personnel staged the largest guard of honor in modern UK state visit history.
đĽ The extras: A 41-gun salute fired simultaneously at Windsor and the Tower of London. A flypast featuring Red Arrowsâa state visit first. And for dessert? A Beating Retreat ceremony with 200 musicians, normally reserved for the Horse Guards Parade.
đ The takeaway: Pageantry on steroids. Beyond the fairy-tale optics, this was diplomacy in Technicolorâa signal of the âspecial relationshipâ dialed up to historic scale.
âď¸THE CHESSBOARD
Geopolitics Decoded In 3 Moves
Top-left: President Trump and the First Lady meeting the young choristers at the Windsor Chapel, Bottom-left: At the Green Drawing Room in Windsor Castle viewing Royal Historic Artifacts, Right: HM Queen Camilla, HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales and First Lady, Melania Trump outside Victoria House in the Walled Garden (Windsor Estate).
đŹđ§ Trumpâs Tribute to the Queen
President Trump paused the royal pageantry for a solemn moment at St Georgeâs Chapel, Windsor, laying a wreath at HM the late Queen Elizabeth IIâs tomb alongside First Lady, Melania.
They were greeted by the Dean and Chapter Clerk, they toured the chapel, home to 11 monarchsâ tombs (including King Henry VIII).
The visit also included time for private reflection, and a performance of âVivaldi Gloriaâ by 16 young choristers. They were applauded by the President who quipped, theyâd soon be âfamousâ.
Trump called it a âgreat honour,â reflecting on the late Queenâs legacy and his 2019 meeting with her.
đĄ The setting underscored both the Queenâs enduring legacy and Trumpâs bid to anchor his UK state visit in history.
đ Gifts Fit for a State Visit
Amid the pomp and ceremony, was tradition. And one of those age-old traditions was that of the exchanging of gifts.
The Trumps gifted Queen Camilla a Tiffany brooch of gold, rubies (her birthstone), and diamonds (Melaniaâs), a glittering nod to friendship and diplomacy.
For King Charles, they offered a replica of Eisenhowerâs sword, symbolizing the WWII alliance and enduring US-UK ties.
The Royals countered with a hand-bound book marking Americaâs 250th, the Union flag flown on Trumpâs 2025 inauguration and a silver photograph frame engraved with their joint cyphers.
For the First Lady, a silver and enamel bowl featuring Queen Camillaâs cypher, crafted by Northern Irish silversmith Cara Murphy, and a personalized handbag by British designer Anya Hindmarch.
đĄ A masterclass in soft power wrapped in velvet boxes.
đ Royal Runway: Windsor Edition
Kate stunned in a maroon Emilia Wickstead coatdress, anchored by a 162-year-old sapphire-and-diamond feather brooch worn by Diana and the late Queenâa royal mic drop in jewelry form.
Melania went couture with a Christian Dior mauve skirt suit and a dramatic wide-brimmed hat that screamed âFirst Lady meets runway.â
Queen Camilla chose a smart Bruce Oldfield coatdress, topped with a Philip Treacy hat and a blue sapphire brooch surrounded by diamonds, called the Prince Albert Brooch. It belonged to Queen Victoria and was the inspiration behind Princess Dianaâs engagement ring.
đĄ From historic heirlooms to couture statements, Windsor is shaping up to be quite the style summit. All eyes now on the State Banquet Dinner.
đ˝THE EMPIRE FILES
Political Drama From DC To NYC
đĽPatelâs Senate Hearing: Cage Match Edition
FBI Director Kash Patel went 4.5 hours before the Senate Judiciaryâand turned it into reality TV. Democrats accused him of politicizing the Bureau; Republicans praised recent wins like nabbing Charlie Kirkâs accused killer.
Schiff v. Patel: Patel called him a "liar," the "biggest fraud to sit in the United States Senate," an "utter coward," and a "political buffoon at best."âGrassley had to gavel them down.
Booker v. Patel: Shouting over lies, jets, and âyouâre not the boss of me.â
âĄBottom line: Patelâs oversight debut was less hearing, more WWE in suits.
â Kirkâs Accused Killer Faces Death Penalty
Utah prosecutors slapped Tyler Robinson, 22, with 7 felonies for the assassination of conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, including:
Aggravated murder (death penalty eligible), obstruction of justice, witness tampering and more.
Prosecutors say Robinson texted his roommate admitting the killing, hid clothes and the gun (etched with anti-fascist slogans), and tried to silence witnesses.
He surrendered after his parents recognized him on TV. Robinson appeared virtually in courtâno plea entered, held without bail. Next hearing: Sept. 29.
⥠Bottom line: This trial looms as a political lightning rod.
đ¤ CODES & POWER
Tech Wars, Crypto Chaos, and AIâs Black Mirror Moments
đź Airbuds Turns Music Into Social Currency
Forget Ping, forget Spotifyâs âsocialâ add-onsâwe have a new music network in town.
SF-based Airbuds just raised $5M from Redditâs Alexis Ohanianâs Seven Seven Six, bringing total funding to $10M.
The app has 15M downloads, 5M monthly actives, and 1.5M daily users.
Its secret sauce? A widget-based social app that lets friends see what youâre streaming in real time across Spotify, Apple Music and more - plus emojis, stickers, and Wrapped-style recaps.
⥠In short: Spotify streams, Airbuds vibes.
đ¤ Tencentâs $1.3B Dim Sum Play
Tencent just sold its first-ever dim sum bondsâraising 9B yuan ($1.27B) across 5-, 10- and 30-year tranches, all priced tighter than guidance thanks to hot demand.
Officially âfor general use,â insiders say the cash is aimed at AI + cloud bets as Chinaâs internet giants scramble for capital.
Rival Alibaba just raised $3.2B for cloud growth.
đĄBottom line: Hong Kongâs bond market is booming, and AI is the arms race fuel.
đş FUN FACTS & TRIVIA
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower at Balmoral, alongside young Prince Charles and Princess Anne, 1959
An Endearing Moment: The Queen, Eisenhower & Scones
In 1959, when Eisenhower visited Balmoral, Scotland, the Queen invited him to tea in a cozy, informal setting. She personally made him scones, which he later raved about, saying they were the best heâd ever tasted. The Queen sent him her recipe afterward.
Bonus: Eisenhower was well acquainted with the Royals. He had first met King George VI (Queen Elizabethâs father), when he was still General Eisenhower, during the preparation for the D-Day invasion. He met young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret as well.
General Eisenhower was appointed the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II.