UK state banquet for Trump features vintage port, French menu, and 1,452 pieces of cutlery

Windsor Castle hosted a state banquet for President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump as part of their official visit to Britain, a ceremony that blends medieval ceremony with contemporary diplomacy. The event unfolded in St George’s Hall, a vast Gothic room where a 47-meter-long dining table was laid for about 160 guests. The table setting involved 1,452 individual pieces of cutlery arranged with clockwork precision, and the menu was written in French, featuring 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, and a vanilla ice cream bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior. A 1945 vintage port was planned for the post-meal toast in honour of Trump’s status as the 45th U.S. president, alongside a 1912 cognac from the birth year of the president’s mother. A bespoke Transatlantic Whisky Sour cocktail was also created for the evening, though President Trump is a teetotaller and did not drink alcohol during the event. ![Kate Middleton at Windsor banquet](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/09/kate-middleton-prince-william.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024