The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has announced that it will no longer provide support for state visits, following its failure to receive reimbursement for hosting world leaders at Windsor Castle.
The local authority spent a minimum of £350,000 during 2025 on visits that included US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in July.
Officials noted this sum could have funded nine primary school teachers' annual salaries.
"Quite simply, local taxpayers can't continue to be expected to shoulder the burden of decisions made by government to host State Visits in Windsor," the council stated.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has announced that it will no longer provide support for state visits, following its failure to receive reimbursement for hosting world leaders at Windsor Castle.
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Nigeria's president is scheduled to meet King Charles at Windsor Castle next month, with preparations already underway despite the funding dispute.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also visited Windsor in 2025.
The council's deputy leader, Lynne Jones, confirmed discussions with government officials about the forthcoming Nigerian presidential visit remain ongoing, though the authority intends to deliver only minimal support.
"We're not prepared to go beyond that without that formal reassurance that the costs will be reimbursed," she said.
The local authority spent a minimum of £350,000 during 2025 on visits that included US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in July.
|GETTY
Jones acknowledged the borough's enthusiasm for hosting such occasions and Windsor Castle's appeal as a venue.
"We enjoy the events that are here. We understand that Windsor Castle is a big draw," she said. "We like the fact that our borough hosts these events - and we're very, very successful at doing them - but we really cannot accept that our residents are having to pay for a central government event."
Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds brought the reimbursement issue before the House of Commons in January, questioning when the council would receive its money back.
Chris Elmore, parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, responded that state visit expenses have traditionally been divided among multiple government departments and agencies.
"The allocation of costs for visits hosted at Windsor Castle is currently under review, and we will keep [Reynolds] informed on the outcome," Elmore stated.
The council acknowledged the potential consequences for partner organisations involved in planning such events but maintained it simply lacks the budget to continue providing support.
"While we appreciate the wider impact this may have for our multi-agency partners, with planning already underway for the visit in March by the president of Nigeria, we don't have a budget for this support," officials said.
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