Royal jewels shine at Windsor Castle state banquet for Trump visit

Kate Middleton stuns in a glittering tiara moment at Windsor Castle.

The Princess of Wales made heads turn as she arrived alongside her husband Prince William.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicked off their state visit to the U.K. on Wednesday, when the Prince and Princess of Wales greeted them. The senior royals put on a united front this evening for a state banquet at Windsor Castle to welcome the couple.

KATE MIDDLETON TO PLAY ‘PIVOTAL ROLE’ AT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HISTORIC STATE VISIT: EXPERT

Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” told Digital the royals love to showcase their jewels during state banquets.

“… They drip in jewels,” said Seward. “They absolutely drip with jewels. It’s the one time they could really show off their jewelry.”

The true centerpiece of the state visit was the banquet in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. The Waterloo Table — about half the length of a football field — can seat up to 160 guests. The Associated Press reported it takes five full days to set the table, which holds more than 4,000 pieces, including 200-year-old silver.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arriving at the state banquet on Sept. 17, 2025. (PHIL NOBLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Men are expected to wear white ties and tailcoats, while women don designer gowns and jewels. 

A place setting for King Charles III and President Donald Trump at the banquet table in St. George’s Hall ahead of the state banquet at Windsor Castle on Sept. 17, 2025, in Windsor, England.  (Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

A view of the banquet table in St. George’s Hall on Sept. 17, 2025. (AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Chef Darren McGrady, a royal chef for 15 years who cooked for five U.S. presidents, told Digital that the menu gives a heartfelt nod to Queen Elizabeth II. One of the desserts that will be savored included a bombe glacée cardinal — a vanilla ice cream featuring Kentish raspberry sorbet and lightly poached Victoria plums.

President Donald Trump and Queen Elizabeth II are seen here at a state banquet in Buckingham Palace on June 3, 2019, in London, England. (Dominic Lipinski- WPA Pool/Getty Images)

“Bombes were served at maybe 70% of all state banquets,” he said. “It’s an ice cream where we use an old Victorian copper mold. The queen loved to have ice cream at state banquets, so we often served it. She also loved a bombe glacée royal, which is mint ice cream with chocolate. The queen loved chocolate.”

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The king’s mother isn’t the only matriarch being honored during the state dinner. The royal menu also showed that, after dinner, guests would be served a Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne from the president’s mother’s birth year.

In addition, a 1945 vintage port, closest to the year of the president’s birth year, will be served. It’s noted that ports are not made every year. Guests will also enjoy American red wine and English sparkling wine.

In 2019, The New York Times reported one of Trump’s earliest memories, which he often shares, was seeing his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, enthralled by Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.

British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Digital the menus are written in French, a tradition dating back to the 11th century.

“This practice symbolizes sophistication,” she shared.

Dishes such as organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and quail egg salad highlight locally grown ingredients from the royal family’s estate. A cocktail created for the occasion — the Transatlantic Whisky Sour — blends Johnnie Walker Black with citrus marmalade and is topped with a toasted marshmallow on a star-shaped biscuit.

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No U.S. president, or any other world leader, has ever had the honor of a second U.K. state visit, The Associated Press reported. The festivities involved 120 horses and 1,300 troops — including the largest guard of honor in living memory.