It’s my favourite part of any State Visit and it just got sprinkled with Christmas. You can’t beat the behind the scenes reveal of the set up for the State Banquet and this time round, it’s full on festive.
The Royal Family has taken to sharing snapshots of Queen Camilla inspecting the table settings and flower arrangements ahead of State Banquets now. King Charles comes along, too, but presumably to nod and say yes as all husbands do when the other half is going on about home furnishings.
It’s always a spectacular sight but with hours to go until the State Banquet for the President of Germany, it got even prettier as this gala dinner is set in St. George’s Hall complete with giant Christmas tree and festive garlands.
St. George’s Hall, at the heart of Windsor Castle, is a sight to behold at the best of times. Its ceiling is covered with the crests of Knights of the Garter with a few gaps for those who lost this prestigious honour (no one tell Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor that this is an actual thing after he was stripped of his membership by King Charles in recent weeks). However, at Christmas, it is something else.
The banquet table, which will seat around 160 guests, is nestled beneath the giant tree which is covered in sparkling lights as well as green and gold baubles.
The huge Nordmann Fir, felled in Windsor Great Park, is decked with thousands of lights as well as ornaments.
Around the hall there are also festive garlands, strung from the balconies beneath the famous vaulted ceiling.
Queen Camilla has kept the decorations festive. The tables are covered in arrangements of bright red flowers in golden vases, interspersed with festive green foliage.
It’s also a diplomatic nod as red is the one colour shared between the two flags of the UK and Germany and might provide a clue to the tiara that The Queen will wear for the State Banquet. However, considering her recent decision to shake things up and use the emerald tiara previously only ever worn in public by Princess Eugenie at her wedding, nothing is being counted as certain on the jewellery front.
The guests will be served a meal showcasing seasonal produce sourced at the royal estates and highlighting the best of British cuisine. King Charles also has an admirable wine cellar to head into to keep glasses topped up.
The royals were getting into full festive spirit as they started to reveal the details of the State Banquet with Christmas music accompanying the behind the scenes preview which was very much focused on Queen Camilla.
Earlier, royal chef Mark Flanagan revealed that The King and Queen will make all the final decisions about the food served at the banquet.
The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is on a three day State Visit to the UK with his wife, Elke Budenbender. He was given an official welcome at Windsor by King Charles and Queen Camilla, with the support of the Prince and Princess of Wales, before heading to London for a meeting with Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
But the best part of this State Visit has been, without a doubt, the stunning Christmas show just put on by Queen Camilla and the Royal Family. It’s a ratings topper for sure.
