What was on the menu and who was on guest list at state banquet?

Princess of Wales and President Trump at the state banquetImage source, PA Media
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The banquet at Windsor Castle brought together royalty and politics

  • Published

The state banquet is the spectacular showstopper of a state visit, a glittering feast with speeches, royal toasts, trumpet fanfares and fancy food and wine.

It's diplomacy served up with fine dining. A cut-glass shock-and-awe approach to hospitality designed to make a visiting leader like President Trump feel special.

The setting in St George's Hall inside Windsor Castle is a remarkable sight, a mix of medieval banquet and Harry Potter film.

Elaborately uniformed staff around the hall are as drilled as the soldiers who have been on parade during the day. The table settings, five glasses per person, are terrifyingly neat.

President Trump was sitting next to the Prince of Wales at the state banquetImage source, PA Media
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President Trump was sitting next to the Princess of Wales

For Trump's visit, the 160 guests, sitting behind 1,452 pieces of cutlery, were eating from a menu, written in French, which translates as:

  • Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad

  • Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury infused jus

  • Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums

Guests had a generous wine list.

  • Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016

  • Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2018

  • Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000

  • Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve, 1998

After-dinner drinks were drowning in symbolism. It's a 1945 vintage port, in honour of Trump having been the 45th US president, although he does not drink alcohol.

There was a 1912 cognac, from the birth year of the president's Scottish-born mother.

The Trumps on their way to the banquet with the King and QueenImage source, PA Media
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The Trumps on their way to the banquet with the King and Queen

A place settings at the banquet table reads THE KING and has gold cutlery next to itImage source, PA Media

If that doesn't seem enough there was a special cocktail, the Transatlantic Whisky Sour, which blends Johnnie Walker with the bright citrus of marmalade, with pecan foam and a toasted marshmallow on a biscuit.

President Trump's banquet in Windsor Castle was conspicuously missing celebrity faces or screen stars. Were there people in Hollywood, or even west London, who suddenly found they had to be somewhere else tonight?

There's not even a hardy royal perennial like Sir David Beckham or Sir Elton John.

Instead the guest list was heavy on political operators and tech bros. Apple boss Tim Cook was there, sitting next to the president's daughter, Tiffany Trump.

Press baron Rupert Murdoch was sitting next to Sir Keir Starmer's key adviser Morgan McSweeney. The small talk must be interesting when Trump is suing the Murdoch press for billions in the US.

Formal banquet in the ornate banquet hall in Windsor with a long table set for scores of  guests. It highlights the position of US President Donald Trump, who is standing roughly at the centre of the left hand side of the table, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is a few seats further along and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang a few seats further. Towards the end of that side Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch and OpenAI boss Sam Altman are shown. On the opposite Chancellor Rachel Reeves is towards the back, while media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney are towards the front. Image credited to PA
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There were 160 guests at the banquet, including many business figures

Like at a wedding, guests must be checking the nameplates around the ornately-decorated table to see who they're sitting beside.

The "head" of the table is in the middle for the Windsor state banquet, with the King and president in the centre of a dining table that is 47m long.

President Trump, as the guest of honour, was placed between King Charles and Catherine, the Princess of Wales.

President Donald Trump, wearing a black dinner jacket and white tie, speaks. He is next to Catherine, Princess of Wales, in a gold dress and Prince Charles wearing a black jacket with a red collar and cuffs and displaying his medals. Also present are Tiffany Trump, Tim Cook, Debbie Hewitt, Michael Boulos, Marco Rubio, and Victoria Starmer. Opposite with their backs to the camera are Queen Camilla, First Lady Melania Trump, and Prince William. All the attendees are in formal attire, surrounded by elaborate decorations and floral arrangements. Image credited to Reuters.

The nameplate for Trump said "President of the United States of America", although in capital letters, oddly reminiscent of his social media messages.

Facing them is the first lady, whose nameplate says "Mrs Trump", with Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales on either side of her.

The state banquet table settings in Windsor CastleImage source, Reuters
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The table with its precise settings took many days to prepare

The seating arrangement threw up some interesting groupings. There was the US ambassador Warren Stephens flanked by Princess Anne on one side and Chancellor Rachel Reeves on the other.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was beside Stephen Schwarzman, mega-wealthy CEO of the Blackstone investment group. If Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was searching for ideas, she was sitting next to Sam Altman, chief executive of the artificial intelligence firm, OpenAI.

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was there and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff. Among UK politicians Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy were there.

Golfer Nick Faldo and athlete Dame Katherine Grainger were among the more prominent sports stars at the banquet.

Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, was one of the tech contingent.

President Trump and King Charles at the state banquetImage source, Reuters
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President Trump and King Charles building up the special relationship

Apple boss Tim Cook arrived for the state banquet with President Trump's daughter TiffanyImage source, Reuters
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Apple boss Tim Cook was among the technology figures at the banquet

On the walls are royal portraits and suits of armour and the ceiling is studded with the coats of arms of Knights of the Garter.

St George's Hall was rebuilt after the fire of 1992. So perhaps like many stories about the royals, it feels new and old at the same time.

According to the travelling US press pack, the choice of music at the banquet reflected some of President Trump's favourites. Maybe they have their own messages to the politicians listening.

It includes Nessun Dorma, meaning "none shall sleep" and You Can't Always Get What You Want.

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