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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
