The British royal family had a near-disaster. During visits by heads of state, they pull out all the stops to best represent the country. But things don’t always go as planned. While Donald Trump’s visit seemed like a success, tensions behind the scenes at the state banquet in Windsor have just been revealed.
Was a diplomatic incident narrowly avoided during Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom? The President of the United States was received with his wife Melania by the British royal family, including a lavish dinner at Windsor Castle. For the guests, the banquet was a success. But behind the scenes, it was a different story.
According to the Daily Mail, a violent argument broke out between the British and Americans. While the presidential couple were chatting at the table with King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, a conflict erupted in the kitchen. “Below the stairs,” high tensions were felt. The cause? Members of the President’s Secret Service team went into the kitchen to supervise the preparation of dishes concocted by the royal chefs. And their behavior did not go down well at all.
A kitchen tragedy averted for the British royal family
In St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, 160 VIP guests were gathered, including business leaders and diplomats. In the kitchen, security guards tasted the food that was to be served to the President, which the staff considered disruptive.
It must be said that the pressure was intense. The chefs had to prepare three different dishes: Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad as a starter; organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in thyme zucchini and a savory infused jus with a vanilla ice cream bomb; and a Kentish raspberry sorbet inside, decorated with poached plums.
Palace officials denied the rumors of tension, calling them “categorically false.” But a royal source emphasized the chefs’ frustration with the multiple tastings by members of the US intelligence service. She described the scene: “What began as quiet irritation turned into a heated exchange, with voices raised on both sides (…) It took several minutes for tempers to calm down and for the kitchen to return to its usual rhythm.”
