Who's who at Trump's second state banquet
The guest list for Donald Trump's second state banquet in Windsor Castle looked slightly different in comparison to previous US presidential visits. Here's who bagged an invitation.
Wednesday 17 September 2025 23:20, UK
Business moguls, politicians and members of the royal family made up the guest list for the state banquet to honour Donald Trump.
The glitzy event at Windsor Castle wrapped up the first day of the US president's visit to the UK, which has already seen pageantry, pomp and parades.
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Previous state banquets, including one for former US president Barack Obama in 2011, have been littered with Hollywood stars, with Tom Hanks, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton among those in attendance.
For Mr Trump, the 160-person strong guest list featured more trade and business rather than show business.
Paste BN US correspondent Mark Stone said the positioning of each guest around the table is also telling.
He said across from Mr Trump and the King, on the other side of the table, was the Queen, the first lady, the Prince of Wales and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, which, Stone said "gives you a hint of how much this is all about business".
What was on the banquet menu?
Beyond the grand setting and glamorous dress code, guests were treated to the following three-course meal.
Starter: Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad.
Main: Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, with a thyme and savoury infused jus.
Dessert: Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet and lightly poached Victoria plums.
For Sir Keir Starmer, who is a pescatarian, his main was a fillet of turbot, wrapped in green and yellow courgettes with sauce verde.
After dinner, guests were served a 1945 vintage port, in recognition of Trump being America's 45th president, a 1912 champagne, marking the year's of Trump's mother's birth, and a whisky bottled for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
A special cocktail was also created for the occasion, called a Transatlantic Whisky Sour, a twist on the classic.
It was crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit, "evoking the warmth of a fireside s'more" - the classic American marshmallows melted between chocolate biscuits.
Among the guests of honour were, of course, Donald and Melania Trump, alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were in attendance, as were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
Read more:
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Gifts exchanged between the King and Donald Trump
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US secretary of state Marco Rubio, treasury secretary Scott Bessent and special envoy Steve Witkoff were among the senior American diplomats in attendance. MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore was also on the list.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman were all in attendance, as was Paula Reynolds, the chair of National Grid - the UK's national electricity and gas system.
Click or tap on the white dots below to find out who's who.
