The Royal State Banquet: What Was On The Menu?
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4 hours ago
Behind-the-scenes at Trump's dinner at Windsor Castle
This week King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed President Donald Trump and his wife Melania to the UK with a lavish dinner, held at Windsor Castle on Wednesday. The high-profile event involved 160 guests, including eight senior royals, alongside tech bosses and politicians – but what did they all eat?
Inside Trump’s Banquet At Windsor Castle
Set in the majestic surroundings of St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle, Trump’s royal banquet was an evening of fine dining, wine and slick service. The 50m-long mahogany table was laid with the utmost precision in a process that took over a week. Think napkins folded in the shape of a Dutch bonnet and elaborate floral arrangements, with each guest given six glasses (for water, champagne, red and white wines, dessert wine and port), and place settings measured to be exactly 18 inches apart.
Around the room, perfectly uniformed staff manned 19 different stations, using a traffic light system to co-ordinate serving the three-course meal.
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What Was On The Menu?
First up, guests were served a starter of Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad. For mains, it was an organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme infused jus, followed by a vanilla ice cream bombe for pudding, served with Kentish raspberry sorbet with lightly poached Victoria plums.
On the drinks side, diners had four wines to choose from:
- 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
There were also symbolic nods. Post-dinner, a 1945 vintage port was served in honour of Trump being the 45th US president, as well as a 1912 cognac – a nod to the birth year of his mother. Guests also enjoyed a special cocktail, the Transatlantic Whisky Sour, a mix of Johnnie Walker, marmalade, pecan foam and toasted marshmallow on a biscuit, designed to evoke ‘the warmth of a fireside S’more’. However, Trump likely won’t have tried any of this, as he doesn’t drink alcohol.
The menus were written in French, a long-standing royal tradition which the late Queen Elizabeth II was a particular fan of. ‘Her Majesty loves the menu in French,’ royal chef Mark Flanagan told Town & Country in 2022. He added, ‘I get an accent wrong or mix up the masculine and feminine on the menus I send up for her approval, she’ll let me know. Her Majesty misses nothing!’
Who Was On The Guestlist?
Eight members of the British royal family were in attendance: the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
The rest of the guestlist was markedly different to previous state banquets for US presidents. Barack Obama’s dinner in 2011, for instance, featured a string of film stars including Tom Hanks, Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter, as well as sports icons like David Beckham.
Trump’s banquet, on the other hand, leant more towards business than Hollywood. Apple boss Tim Cook was there, sitting beside the president’s daughter, Tiffany Trump, as well as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. A number of UK politicians got the invite too, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
What Is A State Banquet?
State banquets are grand dinners housed within the royal residences during state visits. Preparations begin several weeks in advance, with gilt-edge invitations sent out two months before, according to the Royal Collection Trust. Eight people spend three weeks cleaning and polishing the tableware, which comes from The Grand Service, a set of silver gilt featuring over 4,000 items.
Traditionally, banquets are held in Buckingham Palace’s Ballroom – the largest of the State Rooms, which features suitably opulent interiors complete with two thrones and a triumphal arch.
They can also be held at Windsor Castle, where the table runs along the whole length of the room, with the monarch and Head of State always sitting in the centre. The royal chef is responsible for coming up with the food menu, which is usually three or four courses, while the wine is chosen by The Clerk of the Royal Cellars and the Yeoman of the Royal Cellars, alongside the Head of Government Hospitality.
