The Vance family's trip to the UK included a visit to Hampton Court Palace. Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their three children, Ewan, 8, Vivek, 5, and Mirabel, 3, enjoyed a private visit to the former home of Henry VIII on Sunday.
According to The Telegraph, the second family was given a private tour of Hampton Court Palace before it opened to the public on Aug. 10. The outlet reported that the public opening time was pushed to 12 p.m. to give the second family free rein of the property.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupPer the Historic Royal Palace's website, visitors to Hampton Court Palace can "experience the public dramas and private lives of Henry VIII, his wives and their children in the world of the Tudor court," plus admire Henry's Great Hall and Tudor kitchens, discover the baroque palace built for William III and Mary II and explore 60 acres of gardens as well as the Magic Garden adventure playground.
Two days earlier, on Aug. 8, the vice president had a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House. The two also went fishing together. "A real pleasure to welcome my friend @jdvance and his family to Chevening. Before beginning our bilateral, the Vice President gave me fishing tips, Kentucky style," the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs wrote on Instagram. "The special relationship makes the UK and the US stronger, safer and better off."
On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the vice president is scheduled to visit U.S. troops stationed at Royal Air Force Base Fairford, England.
The Vances' trip to the UK comes over a month before President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's second state visit to the country. The president and the first lady will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle during their second "unprecedented" state visit, taking place from September 17 through September 19.
"Well, I'm looking forward to it. It's never been done before twice. We had our original at Buckingham Palace and now I guess we're going to Windsor. And it's never been done. And I'm a big fan of King Charles," President Trump said last month.
© Backgrid UK/The Grosby GroupPrime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has previously called the Trumps' upcoming trip "an unprecedented and very special state visit." He's said, "This has never been done before and there'll be many elements of it that have never been seen before. So this is going to be a historic occasion and we're all very much looking forward to it and I was very, very pleased to be able to put forward the invitation when we were at the White House earlier this year. So this is not just a state visit. They're always incredible occasions. This is an unprecedented second state visit, so you can imagine just how special that's gonna be."
