Rupert Murdoch in attendancepublished at 20:52 BST 17 September

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump depart the UK on board Air Force One - here's a look back at the two-day state visit
In a joint press conference earlier, Trump suggested Keir Starmer could involve the military in tackling the UK's small boat crisis
Trump also said Vladimir Putin "let me down", as Starmer said both countries are working to put pressure on the Russian president to agree to a Ukraine peace deal
When asked about Starmer's plan to recognise a Palestinian state, Trump said he has "a disagreement with the prime minister on that score"
Some of the thorniest issues did not really crop up. Jeffrey Epstein and Lord Mandelson only perfunctorily, and Nigel Farage not at all, writes chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman
It comes after the leaders signed a new "technology prosperity deal" with firms including Microsoft and Google pledging to spend billions in the UK
Edited by Alex Smith and Matt Spivey
Big tech names including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are among the guests at tonight's dinner.
There's more on who the other guests are in our previous post.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, left, is among attendees at tonight's dinner
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has donned a white tuxedo for the occasion
The guests are arriving, the table is set.
160 guests will be attending the event, with the meal set to take place around a 47.3m (155 feet) long banquet table - that's equivalent to 2.7 Marine Ones.
The table has 139 candles and 1452 pieces of cutlery placed on it, and just over 100 staff will be working.
The table has taken a week to put together - a task that was completed on Sunday, with the cutlery then laid on Monday.
The royal household put the seating plan together based on guests provided by the UK government and the White House.
We can now bring you some more details about the guests who will be in attendance at tonight's state banquet.
Among the key players at tonight's banquet, one side of the table will sit Marco Rubio, King Charles, President Trump, Princess Catherine.
Marco Rubio shared a carriage with US special envoy Steve Witkoff during today's procession
Opposite them will be Scott Bessent, Queen Camilla, Melania Trump and Prince William.
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent attended a financial services roundtable event at Downing Street yesterday as part of the state visit
British PM Starmer has been placed next to Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and Jeanette Rubio, the wife of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Open AI's Sam Altman are also joining the banquet.
Meanwhile, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and US Masters-winning golfer Nick Faldo will also take their seat at the table.
Rupert Murdoch pictured at the White House in February this year
As they made their way into St George's Hall ahead of the state banquet, the King, Queen, US president and first lady were all smiles.
The King and Trump seem to be deep in conversation.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have now also been seen at Windsor Castle ahead of the banquet.
The royal couple form part of a procession of people making their way in.
A rich programme of music awaits the guests at tonight's state banquet, including a repertoire for pipes.
Among the pieces they will hear will be the aria Nessun Dorma from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, arranged by composer Carlo Martelli.
They will also listen to Scottish Dances by Peter Martin, Schubert's Ave Maria arranged by Matt Naughtin, and Henry Purcell's Trumpet Tune and Air.
A repertoire for pipes will also entertain guests
The decorations for the state banquet will be much discussed this evening - and flowers will take centre stage.
Handpicked seasonal flowers and herbs from the gardens at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park will adorn the banquet table.
They will be arranged in silver-gilt centrepieces taken from the Grand Service.
Once the banquet is over, any flowers that cannot be reused will be donated to Floral Angels, a charity based at the New Covent Garden Flower Market in London whose patron is Queen Camilla.
These flowers will then be delivered to hospices, elderly care homes, shelters, and others within the local community.
If you're wondering what sort of food gets served to guests at a state banquet - we've got those details for you.
Those attending will enjoy three dishes tonight from a set menu alongside a variety of drinks.
Starter: Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad
Main: Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury infused jus
Dessert: Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums
After the dinner, guests will be served specially selected drinks including a Vintage Port from 1945 - said to be a nod to President Trump who served as the 45th president during his first term.
There will also as be a Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne served, which dates to the birth year of Trump’s mother.
A new cocktail has been created for the occasion a "Transatlantic Whisky Sour" – a twist on the conventional Whisky Sour - blending the flavours of Johnnie Walker Black and marmalade.
The drink will be topped with a pecan foam and a toasted marshmallow on a star-shaped biscuit "evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more".
We're now getting an insight into the upcoming state banquet, as details are emerging of the decorations, table layout, menu, guest list and a repertoire of music.
Over our next few posts, we'll be able to bring you a closer look at the planned feast.
Tonight's table in St George's Hall has been decorated with flowers, candles and an impressive napkin arrangement
President Trump will sit next to the King for the dinner. Their places have been laid out here complete with glasses and cutlery
Pipers rehearsed next to the banquet table earlier today
The table is long, and grand, with guests awaiting their meal - we'll have more details on what they'll be tucking into shortly
Listen to BBC journalists Sarah Smith, Justin Webb and Marianna Spring unpack what would constitute a successful trip for both the UK and the US.
In the latest episode of Americast, the group also discuss the potential flash points of the visit for both UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Donald Trump, particularly over the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the sacking of the UK’s ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson.
Listen to the episode on BBC Sounds.
Ian Skelly, a BBC broadcaster and former speechwriter for King Charles predicts that tonight's state banquet speech may have taken up to six months to put together.
Skelly adds that the speech will most likely focus on the "special relationship" between the UK and US - with the King bringing his own personal take on that relationship.
"I remember him telling me he vaguely remembers as a child meeting Eisenhower. That means he has known 13 presidents, which is quite a heritage," he says.
Skelly adds that the speech will be a "very carefully balanced piece of work", but that King Charles may bring up issues he is passionate about with Trump behind the scenes.
Chris Mason
Political editor
Both the president and the King will give speeches at the beginning of the state banquet.
They will be political words, but not the sort we are used to, at least from the UK side. They will be 'small p' political words from the King.
So who writes his speech?
It is “written on the advice of government” is how it is described.
Someone else close to the process told me “who holds the pen is nuanced” – which is curious, but revealing phrase.
I think it roughly translates as all sorts of drafts go back and forth between folk in government and folk at the Palace.
What can we expect?
A seven to eight minute speech from the King that focuses on the big picture – the UK and US’s shared past and hoped for shared future.
On some of the big international issues of our time, there are differences of emphasis or even outright disagreement.
These are likely to be brushed over in the broadest sense.
And, what about tomorrow?
The prime minister, meanwhile, will aim to make the most of the face time with the president.
And, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is expected to meet Donald Trump for the first time.
Tomorrow the focus will switch to Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat in Buckinghamshire for the 'big P' political day.
The prime minister will seek to emphasise the long term value of all of the economic deals that have been announced during this state visit – as he seeks to put the short term hefty bumps he suffered in the last fortnight behind him.
After a busy day of ceremony in Windsor attention is turning to this evening's state banquet.
We've seen a glimpse of the King and Queen inside St George's Hall, where they have been inspecting the fine details.
King and Queen inspect state banquet
Nada Tawfik
North America correspondent
Since he was a young boy, Trump, has held a deep admiration of the Royal Family - largely due to his Scottish mother who he watched Queen Elizabeth's coronation with in 1953.
Trump recounted the impact his mother's love of the British royals had on him, in his book, The Art of the Deal.
He got "his sense of showmanship" from her, he wrote, describing her as "enthralled by the pomp and circumstance, the whole idea of royalty and glamour".
Trump's former national security aide, Fiona Hill, observed in her book that he often spoke of his mother's admiration of the royal family.
Meeting the late Queen Elizabeth II in his first term in 2019, she writes, was an obsession of his because it was the "ultimate sign that he, Trump, had made it in life".
Shortly after the historic encounter, he told Piers Morgan in a newspaper interview: "I was walking up and I was saying [to First Lady Melania Trump] 'Can you imagine my mother seeing this scene?' Windsor. Windsor Castle."
In Trump's eyes, the British throne has a global status that he craves, say some observers.
Now Trump, who once watched his mother revering the royals - is the one sharing the spotlight with them.
Noor Nanji
Royal reporter at Windsor Castle
Tyler, 25, and Kieran, 27, were visiting family in London, so they decided to swing by Windsor to try and get a glance at President Trump.
“I can’t believe how many British people are here supporting Trump, it’s quite astonishing,” Kieran said.
Politics students Laila and Rubyanne, both 16, say they came down “to search for answers”.
Meanwhile Will, who’s 22, and Nicola, 23, said they worked in the area and stopped by Windsor Castle on their way to get lunch.
“Planning to see Big Donald,” Will said. “Big up Trump.”
“It’s nice to see all the different people and the different opinions,” said Nicola. “Normally Windsor’s quite quiet, so it’s just different.”
Tyler, left, and Kieran, right, say it's "astonishing" to see so many people supporting Trump in Windsor
It's been an eventful day in Windsor.
President Donald Trump's historic second state visit may have been set under grey skies, but there's been plenty of ceremony throughout the day.
We've taken a look back at some of the big moments:
At Windsor Castle this morning, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump disembarked Marine One and were greeted by the Prince and Princess of Wales
Trump and the King were deep in conversation as the carriages made their way through the procession
Inside Windsor Castle, the state visit continued with a tour inside the Green Drawing Room where a special exhibition was laid out to celebrate the UK's relationship with the US.
Next on the itinerary for the president, and first lady, was a trip to St George's Chapel where they laid a wreath at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II
The King, Queen, Trump and Melania seated together for the Beating the Retreat military ceremony at Windsor Castle
Right on cue was the flypast attracting crowds as the planes roared in the sky filling it red, white and blue
Alex Smith
Reporting from Windsor
After the Red Arrows flypast, most of the crowd here at Windsor Castle dispersed.
A few dozen people still remain outside - a significant number have been stationed here for the majority of the day.
Among them is a mixture of Trump supporters wearing red 'Make America Great Again' hats, demonstrators carrying placards, and passers-by hoping to catch a glimpse of the US president.
There's also a sea of journalists and cameras lined up along the side of the road.
But they won't see much. Trump isn't scheduled to come out here, and there aren't any more planned events that will be visible from outside the castle walls.
Next up on the schedule is a state banquet later this evening, which is taking place inside the castle.