King Charles and Queen Camilla attend magnificent Versailles banquet with a rather surprising guest list

King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a magnificent Versailles banquet with a rather surprising guest list during their State Visit to France. 

• The King and Queen were guests of honour at a banquet held at the Palace of Versailles  on 20th September during their State Visit to France.
• Their Majesties were joined by President Macron, his wife Brigitte and a wide selection of stars that some might find rather surprising.
• This royal news comes as we revealed the huge baby moment Kate and Prince William practised at home before Prince George was even born in order to avoid a mistake in front of the world. 

Six months after their first State Visit to France as King and Queen Consort was postponed amid widespread strikes, King Charles and Queen Camilla were welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Lady Brigitte Macron in Paris. That night Queen Camilla’s bubblegum pink outfit was swapped for a super dramatic Dior evening gown as the royal couple stepped out at the Palace of Versailles. This awe-inspiring building was the venue of choice for a spectacular black tie state dinner and according to The Telegraph, the Élysée drew up the guest list to reflect the France-UK relationship and “notable national achievements”.

Some fans might well have been surprised by the array of stars who arrived at the Palace to dine with Their Majesties, President Macron and his wife on 20th September. The guest list ranged from famous French chef Raymond Blanc to Sex Education star Emma Mackey, actor Charlotte Gainsbourg and Hugh Grant. 

Other stars who enjoyed the banquet were The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, footballer Didier Drogba, novelist Ken Follet and former manager of Arsenal football club, Arsène Wenger. King Charles had previously met Mick before when he awarded him his knighthood back in 2003. 

The King and Queen reportedly enjoyed a pre-dinner concert played by the Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich and then sat down in Versailles’ legendary Hall of Mirrors to eat. Whilst Queen Camilla’s favourite “fuss-free” meal is so unroyal, their dinner at the Palace was anything but. 

According to reports the banquet menu was kicked off with a potted crab and blue lobster starter followed by poached Bresse chicken marinated in champagne. The royals and their fellow guests also apparently enjoyed a delicious-sounding dessert featuring everything from raspberry sorbet to a disc of macaroon and then a cheese course which supposedly included comté, chèvre and Stichelton cheeses.

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The far-ranging guest list for this Versailles banquet and the focus on celebrating Anglo-French relations was something that was then echoed in King Charles’ speech at the event. Delivered in English and French, he reflected on his late mother Queen Elizabeth’s time in France when she was pregnant with him.

"My parents' first official visit together was to France in 1948, shortly after their wedding," he declared. "By all accounts, they made quite a splash, dancing till the early hours at the glamourous Chez Carrere in the Rue Pierre Charron, serenaded by Edith Piaf. I suspect it may have left an indelible impression on me, even six months before I was born - La Vie en Rose is one of my favourite songs to this day!"