Day one of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom ended with a regal state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
So, who were the guests that toasted to The Queen and President?
The British Royal Family was represented by Her Majesty The Queen, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke of York, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra. It accounts for one of the most populous state banquets by members of the Royal Family in the past several years.
From the United States, President and Mrs Trump were accompanied by Trump’s daughter and special advisor, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner; Donald Trump Jr, Tiffany Trump, Eric and Lara Trump, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; counsellor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders; and National Security Adviser, John Bolton among others.
Prime Minister Theresa May also attended.
Both The Queen and the President delivered remarks and toasts with the President calling The Queen “a great, great woman” after earlier tweeting that “The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic. The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong.”
The President was full of praise for the 93-year-old monarch closing his remarks during the evening saying, “On behalf of all Americans I offer a toast to the eternal friendship of our people, the vitality of our nations and truly remarkable reign of Her Majesty The Queen.”
The Queen spoke of the importance of visits from American presidents in her remarks, “Visits by American Presidents always remind us of the close and longstanding friendship between the United Kingdom and the United States, and I am so glad that we have another opportunity to demonstrate the immense importance that both our countries attach to our relationship.”
Her Majesty concluded by stating, “I invite you all to rise and drink a toast to President and Mrs Trump, to the continued friendship between our two nations, and to the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States.”