{"id":432957,"date":"2025-09-18T06:05:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T06:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/432957\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T06:05:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T06:05:18","slug":"the-surprising-royal-table-rules-the-british-royal-family-follows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/432957\/","title":{"rendered":"The Surprising Royal Table Rules The British Royal Family Follows"},"content":{"rendered":"

This past summer, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte visited the UK for the first time in 17 years. The Macrons stayed at Windsor Castle as guests of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and on July 8, a banquet was held in their honor at St. George’s Hall.<\/p>\n

And now, just two months later, another historic state banquet is taking place as President Donald Trump receives the rare honor of a second state visit to the UK. Trump, who is the first U.S. president to be invited for two state visits by a British monarch, is being hosted once again at Windsor Castle by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.<\/p>\n

\"UKWPA Pool\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Prince William and Kate Middleton attend the State Banquet during the State visit by US President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

The centerpiece of Trump’s visit is tonight’s state banquet in St. George’s Hall, featuring an 50-meter (164-foot) mahogany table that will seat up to 160 guests\u2014similar to the setup used for Macron’s visit. Macron\u2019s state banquet included three courses\u2014at least one of which was prepared by chef Raymond Blanc<\/a>\u2014plus dessert, and so many different beverages that each table setting had to have five glasses. Which made us wonder\u2014why? What exactly does a royal table setting entail? Here\u2019s what we found out:<\/p>\n

The Food<\/p>\n

For Macron\u2019s visit, according to the Independent<\/a>, the table took staff six days to prepare. Typically, the menu for a State Banquet leans heavily on local ingredients, procured on royal properties. For the Macron visit, the banquet included vegetables and herbs from the garden, as well as \u201cSupreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, followed by Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly for dessert.\u201d The menu, per tradition, was written in French.<\/p>\n

\"BRITAIN-US-ROYALS-DIPLOMACY\"AARON CHOWN\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The place setting for King Charles III.<\/p>\n

For tonight’s Trump banquet, the menu similarly showcases British produce while offering nods to American tastes. The main entree is organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgette slices, with a thyme-infused jus. An ice cream bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet center and a side of stewed Victoria plums will be served for dessert. At Trump’s previous 2019 state banquet, he was served steamed halibut with watercress mousse, Windsor lamb with herb stuffing, and strawberry sable with lemon verbena cream.<\/p>\n

Former royal chef Darren McGrady, who served five U.S. presidents during his 15 years cooking for the royals, suggests<\/a> tonight’s menu will likely be “more traditional British” under King Charles. He also noted that despite Trump’s known love for burgers, “they won’t be included” in a formal state banquet.<\/p>\n

The menu is written in French following an 11th-century tradition, and will feature locally sourced organic ingredients including honey, herbs, fruits, and vegetables from the Windsor Castle gardens. Given the September timing, expect seasonal autumn produce to feature prominently.<\/p>\n

The Setting \"UKWPA Pool\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

A place setting for King Charles III and US President Donald Trump at the banquet table.<\/p>\n

Typically, when a State Banquet is held at St. George\u2019s Hall<\/a>, a 164-foot, horseshoe shaped table is set using the Grand Service<\/a>, made from silver-gilt when George IV was the Prince of Wales\u2014from 1762\u20131830. However, for the Macron visit, the royals eschewed the horseshoe shape in favor of one long 50-meter mahogany table with guests sitting on either side.<\/p>\n

Tonight’s Trump banquet follows the same format, with the 50-meter table laid with porcelain and silver-gilt from the royal collection and dressed with seasonal flowers and herbs. Preparing the table takes several days, with staff polishing every glass and fork until it gleams. Like previous state banquets, King Charles and President Trump will sit at the center of the table while musicians play from the gallery above.<\/p>\n

The China<\/p>\n

In the set are \u201c140 dishes, 288 dinner plates, 118 salts, 12 ice pails, 58 dessert stands and centrepieces and 107 candelabra,\u201d according to the Royal Collection Trust<\/a>, and the \u201cservice is so large and so magnificent that it has never been replaced.\u201d Though a few updates have been made over the years, like the addition of Kings Charles’s cipher<\/a> to the gold-edged<\/a> side plates.<\/p>\n

The Glasses\"BRITAIN-US-ROYALS-DIPLOMACY\"AARON CHOWN\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Place settings at the banquet table.<\/p>\n

When the table is set, the space between each item is measured<\/a>, inspected by staff (and, historically, by the Queen), and the napkins are folded in the Dutch bonnet style<\/a>. As for all those glasses? They’re for wine<\/a>, red and white, water, a bespoke, event-specific<\/a> cocktail, and champagne for a toast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For tonight’s banquet, a special cocktail has been created specifically for the occasion, continuing a tradition introduced by King Charles, called Transatlantic Whisky Sour and a 1945 vintage port, symbolizing Trump’s tenure as the 45th president. However, since President Trump is a teetotaler, he won’t be sampling this drink or any of the vintage wines on offer. Previous bespoke cocktails have included L’entente for President Macron (featuring British gin with French pastis and garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses) and a yuzu marmalade sour for the Japanese state visit.<\/p>\n

The evening culminates with speeches from both King Charles and President Trump starting at 8:30 p.m., followed by the playing of both national anthems.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Julia Cancilla is the engagement editor (and resident witch) at ELLE Decor, where she oversees the brand’s social media platforms and writes the monthly ELLE Decoroscope column. She covers design trends, pop culture, and lifestyle through storytelling to explore how our homes reflect who we are. Her work has also appeared in Inked magazine, House Beautiful, Marie Claire, and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n