President Trump and First Lady attend state banquet at Buckingham Palace
The Queen and her most high-profile female relatives all turned up to the banquet at Buckingham Palace following the same fashion trend.
The high-profile female guests at the state banquet in London may have looked glamorous, but their choice of gowns has left us all with one burning question: was there a ban on colour?
The dress code of “white tie” appeared to have been taken quite literally by some members of the British royal family as they joined the Queen in honouring President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s first state visit to the UK at Buckingham Palace.
Kate Middleton was in true princess mode in a frothy white number by Alexander McQueen, the Duchess of Cornwall chose a cream embroidered evening dress by Bruce Oldfield and Queen Elizabeth herself was dressed in a crystal-encrusted white gown by Angela Kelly.
Even Melania got in on the action, wearing a Dior Haute Couture ivory silk crepe gown for the fancy occasion.
Meanwhile, Her Majesty proved once again why she is the master of subtle diplomacy with a perfectly pitched speech that saw President Trump hail her as a “great, great woman”.
He said she embodies the “patriotism and dignity” that “beats proudly in every British heart” during a lavish state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The President and First Lady attended the state banquet on Monday night along with 170 guests including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Trump’s children Ivanka and Eric Trump.
Opening the banquet, the Queen welcomed the President and First Lady, saying she paid her first visit to the US at the invitation of President Eisenhower, who led the D-Day landings the President will commemorate this week.
The 93-year-old monarch highlighted links between the countries and warned of the importance of working with allies where “millions of lives depended on their common endeavour.”
“As we face the new challenges of the Twenty First Century, the anniversary of D-Day reminds us of all that our countries have achieved together,” she said.
“After the shared sacrifices of the Second World War, Britain and the United States worked with other allies to build an assembly of international institutions, to ensure that the horrors of conflict would never be repeated. While the world has changed, we are forever mindful of the original purpose of these structures: nations working together to safeguard a hard won peace.”
President Trump returned the toast by saying the royal family was the “resolute face of the Commonwealth’s unwavering solidarity”.
“The bond between our nations was forever sealed in that great crusade,” he said, adding that the Queen was embodied patriotism and dignity that “beats proudly in every British heart.”
Earlier, the Royal Family shared a preview of the lavish table setting that has been personally overseen by the Queen. Mr Trump’s son Eric also tweeted a picture of himself outside the Palace ahead of the dinner.
A sneak peek of the State Banquet table in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 3, 2019
The final finishing touches will be added shortly before The Queen welcomes @POTUS, @FLOTUS, members of the Royal Family and around 170 guests to celebrate the #USStateVisit. pic.twitter.com/yFNCx1vYSH
Buckingham Palace 🇺🇸🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/1efOl4ylkv
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 3, 2019
The dinner comes after President Trump claimed there had been “great love all around” and “the Queen and the entire royal family have been fantastic” during his visit.
“London part of trip is going really well,” the President tweeted on Monday evening UK time.
“The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic. The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong. Tremendous crowds of well wishers and people that love our Country. Haven’t seen any protests yet, but I’m sure the Fake News will be working hard to find them.
“Great love all around. Also, big Trade Deal is possible once U.K. gets rid of the shackles. Already starting to talk!”
London part of trip is going really well. The Queen and the entire Royal family have been fantastic. The relationship with the United Kingdom is very strong. Tremendous crowds of well wishers and people that love our Country. Haven’t seen any protests yet, but I’m sure the....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
....Fake News will be working hard to find them. Great love all around. Also, big Trade Deal is possible once U.K. gets rid of the shackles. Already starting to talk!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2019
On Monday the President meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace, branded London mayor Sadiq Khan a “loser” and had tea with Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in an eventful start to the state visit.
The President received a 41 gun salute and inspected a military guard of honour. He also visited Westminster Abbey and soaked up the pomp and pageantry in pictures beamed around the world.
Trump has long professed himself to be an Anglophile, often referencing his Scottish-born mother and the golf course he owns in Scotland. He has spoken of his mother watching the Queen’s coronation and his biographer, Michael D’Antonio told The New York Times the scenes created in a state visit are “more important than any piece of legislation he could get through Congress.”
“I would think one of his dying thoughts will be of this. When he is about to leave this earth, he will think, ‘I was that person, standing with the queen,’” he said.
The visit has also been marked by protests, with around 250,000 people expected to join a “carnival of resistance” in central London on Tuesday. UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will boycott the state dinner and address a protest instead.
Preparations for such a ‘white tie and tiara’ banquet begin over a year in advance with the table being set five days before the event, according to Buckingham Palace. Guests enjoy a four course meal — fish, meat, pudding and fruit — with more than 2000 pieces of cutlery and six glasses per person. Every dish is handmade from scratch with final tablesettings approved by the Queen.
President Trump is just the third US President to have a state visit to the UK with Queen Elizabeth, following Barack Obama and George W Bush. President Obama famously made a notable faux pas when he spoke over the national anthem and toasted the Queen at the wrong time.
Outside, protesters attempted to disrupt the dinner with a “Protest at the Palace: Spoil Trump’s banquet” advertised on Facebook by Together Against Trump. The coalition group planned to use “pots and pans, vuvuzelas and musical instruments” to disrupt the event.
“We say he doesn’t deserve this red-carpet treatment and we plan to make ourselves heard right outside the palace as he turns up,” the group wrote on Facebook.
On Tuesday, Trump will meet with business leaders and hold a press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May. On Wednesday, he will attend D-Day commemorations at Portsmouth with leaders from 13 allied nations including Australia.
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