Details have been released of the guest list, drink and food for the state banquet being hosted by the King and Queen for Donald Trump and his wife Melania.
A bespoke transatlantic whisky sour cocktail garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit “evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more” is being served at the lavish state banquet .
The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Gloucester and the Duchess of Edinburgh are among the guests.
There is also a sumptuous three course menu, written in French.
Who is attending the state banquet?
Among those present will be the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Gloucester and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is a guest despite being sued by the US president over a report linking him to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Murdoch, 94, has also had a difficult relationship with the royal family in recent times.
Earlier this year, the Duke of Sussex received an “unequivocal apology” from his News Group Newspapers (NGN) after “serious intrusion” by The Sun, including unlawful activities by private investigators working for the paper, as Harry and the publisher settled their High Court case.
His brother, the Prince of Wales, reached a settlement with NGN over hacking claims in 2020, court documents suggested.
There are also guests from the world of golf, including one of the greatest British players of the modern era, Sir Nick Faldo.
Golf Association title, and Niall Farquharson, chairman of The R&A, one of the game’s governing bodies.
Big names at the banquet from the tech world will include Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia.
It comes after Britain and the US struck a tech deal that could bring billions of pounds of investment to the UK.
Other guests include Michael Boulos, Ambassador Warren Stephens, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Honorable James Blair and Tim Cook.
Dr. Charles Woodburn, the Honorable Marco Rubio, the Honorable Scott Bessent, Anthony Paduano, the Honorable Steve Witkoff, the Honorable Beau Harrison, the Honorable Nicholas Luna, the Honorable Stephen Miller, the Honorable Dan Scavino, Sir Richard Moore and Paula Reynolds are also among the guests.
Also attending are Tiffany Trump, Harriet Stephens, Lady Starmer, Dame Katherine Grainger, the Honorable Susie Wiles, Dame Emma Walmsley, Baroness von Westenholz, Ms. Jane Fraser, Lady Knighton, the Lady Charles Spencer-Churchill and the Honorable Hayley Harrison.
Guests will be served Panna Cotta de Cresson et Œufs de Caille sur Sablé de Parmesan — Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad — followed by Ballotine de Poulet Fermier en Robe de Courgettes – organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with a thyme and savoury-infused jus.
Dessert will be Bombe Glacée Cardinal, a vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior and lightly poached Victoria plums.
What drinks are being served?
A bespoke transatlantic whisky sour cocktail garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit “evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more” is being served at the lavish state banquet in honour of US President Donald Trump.
In a tradition started by the King, a new cocktail is created specially for each state dinner and incorporates a nod to its VIP guests.
Buckingham Palace said the tipple, a UK/US twist on the classic whisky sour, “blends the smoky depth of Johnnie Walker Black with the bright citrus of marmalade”.
It added: “Crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, evoking the warmth of a fireside S’more.”
After dinner hosted by the King and Queen, guests will be served Warre’s 1945 vintage port, in recognition of Mr Trump’s role as the 45th, as well as the 47th, president of the United States and because it is the closest vintage port year to his birth year.
A Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne will be on offer in recognition of the President’s mother Mary Anne MacLeod’s birth year.
A Bowmore Queen’s Cask whisky from Islay, which was a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth in 1980 and bottled for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, has been chosen to reflect Mr Trump’s Scottish heritage.
Mr Trump is a teetotaller, so will not indulge in sampling the variety of vintage drinks on offer, nor the cocktail.
But it is understood the White House has made him aware of what is being served and the care and thought that is behind each selection.
An American red wine from the Californian Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000, forms part of the menu, with an English sparkling wine for the toasts.
Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne, Pol Roger, extra cuvee de Reserve, 1998, has been chosen because of the president’s love of the wartime prime minister.
What is the seating plan?
The King is seated in the middle of the table, between Mr Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while the Princess of Wales is on Mr Trump’s other side.
On the opposite side of the table is the Queen, who is between First Lady Melania Trump and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, while the William is on the other side of Mrs Trump.
Rupert Murdoch is sitting on the same side of the table as the Queen and William, but much further down to their left.
He was seated between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and Mr Murdoch’s fifth wife Elena Murdoch.
Mr Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump, the only member of his family believed to have been invited, was seated next to Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple.
James Roscoe, the interim UK ambassador to the US was there in place of the sacked Lord Mandelson, seated between the King’s communications secretary Tobyn Andreae and Michael Kratsios, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology.
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