Forget the Main Course — Melania’s 'Beehive' Dessert For Charles Steals the Show at State Dinner
Melania’s carefully curated state dinner menu for King Charles made one White House dessert the most special part of the night.
King Charles made his much-anticipated arrival in the United States alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, on April 27. Donald and Melania Trump gave them a warm welcome and invited the royal couple to a formal dinner at the White House. Now, we finally have the inside scoop on the lavish menu (via PEOPLE), curated by the First Lady herself, and the most surprising element of it: the dessert.
Dinner started with a smooth herb soup that had a light, creamy texture and a fresh garden flavor. It was a velouté, which comes from a classic French sauce but is often served more like a rich soup. Alongside it was a hearts of palm salad, finished with crispy shallots for crunch and a touch of micro mint “for brightness and contrast.”
The second course was a handmade spring herb ravioli filled with ricotta, morel mushrooms, and fresh herbs picked straight from the White House kitchen garden. It went hand-in-hand with a light Parmesan sauce, “which enhances the essence of the dish.”
For the main course, Melania kept the menu light and seasonal with a classic Dover sole meunière. The fish was pan-fried in butter until golden and served with a rich brown butter sauce that gave it a warm, nutty flavor. On the side were spring ramps, snow peas, pavé potatoes, and a drizzle of parsley oil.
The dessert focused on another special ingredient from the White House gardens—honey. Guests were served a beehive-shaped chocolate cake filled with smooth vanilla bean crémeux and layers of almond joconde, then topped with a brown butter crumble for extra texture. It was served with crème fraîche ice cream and White House honey.
The dessert felt extra special because it had a personal touch behind it. The beehive-shaped cake was made with honey from the new White House beehive that the First Lady recently unveiled on the South Lawn. Before dinner, she and Trump even showed Charles and Camilla the small White House-shaped hive in person. Since the royal couple is known for their interest in beekeeping, the dessert felt like a thoughtful and very personal way to end the night.
Ahead of the state dinner, Charles made one of the biggest stops of the trip by addressing a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol. The speech was a major moment, as he became only the second British monarch to do so after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He spoke about key global issues like NATO, the Middle East, and the long-standing relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. However, what caught the most attention was when he mentioned Ukraine, saying, “Today, Mr. Speaker, that same unyielding resolve is needed for the defense of Ukraine and her most courageous people.”
