Donald Trump and Melania to attend Buckingham Palace reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth in December

The US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will meet the NATO leaders in London, in December. The couple's UK visit comes six months after their first state visit in June. This time also they will attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace.

The White House confirmed Friday that Donald Trump and his wife Melania will travel to the UK from December 2 to December 4 for the NATO meeting. They will also attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at the Buckingham Palace, Telegraph UK reports.

Trump, 73, and the first lady Melania, 49 were greeted with full pomp by the British royal family in June. The US president however met with protests. The queen hosted a state banquet in honour of the Trumps which was also attended by their four children.

However, this time it is not clear whether the Trump children will join their father in December or which other royals might join for the palace reception.

"President Trump looks forward to meeting with the other NATO Heads of State and government to review the Alliance's unprecedented progress on burden-sharing, including adding more than $100 billion in new defense spending since 2016," the White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement on Friday.

"The President will also emphasize the need for the NATO Alliance to ensure its readiness for the threats of tomorrow, including those emanating from cyberspace, those affecting our critical infrastructure and telecommunications networks, and those posed by terrorism," she added.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced in February that the military alliance would hold the summit in London in December. But the White House did not confirm whether Trump would attend the summit back then. The confirmation by the White House comes a day after the US president met with Stoltenberg.

Trump is known to be skeptical of NATO member states for not meeting the military spending target and relying on the US. He has said that the US is shouldering too much of the financial burden compared to other member countries.