King Charles Reveals What Impressed Him Most at State Dinner — And It Wasn’t the Food
King Charles revealed what truly impressed him at Trump’s White House dinner and it wasn’t the menu or the guest list.
King Charles is already on his third day of the much-anticipated U.S. visit alongside his wife Queen Camilla, and he has already covered many of the important appearances. One of the highlights of his trip was definitely the state dinner at the White House, hosted by Donald Trump and Melania Trump. While many expected the event to be defined by its lavish menu and high-profile guest list, Charles came away talking about something far more understated.
During a trade and business event at Rockefeller Center on April 29, the monarch met with several senior executives from the U.S. and U.K., including Stephen Schwarzman. In a brief exchange, Charles reflected on the previous evening’s state dinner and revealed what left the strongest impression on him. Rather than the food or the atmosphere, he told Schwarzman he was “so impressed by the music from the military” (via PEOPLE).
Throughout the night, U.S. military bands, including musicians from the Marines, Army, and Air Force, provided live music. It is a detail that might have blended into the background for most guests, but clearly stood out to the King.
In fact, Charles has been known to be an avid fan of classical music and famously helped Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pick out the music for their wedding. “We worked quite a lot with the Prince of Wales, who has incredible taste in specifically classical music, so it was really fun to spend some time going through selections with him,” revealed Markle while speaking in a recording for a Windsor Castle exhibit.
However, the music was not the only thing that stood out on the evening; the elaborate menu played a major part as well. Curated by the First Lady of the United States herself, the dinner kicked off with a garden herb velouté paired with a hearts of palm salad, followed by a spring herb ravioli made with herbs from the White House kitchen garden. The main was a classic Dover sole meunière, but the hero of the night was the dessert. They served a beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau with a smooth vanilla bean crémeux paired with honey from the White House.
Charles, who is known for his love of honey, and Melania Trump, including it in the final dish, was a fitting touch. On their first day in the U.S., the royal couple was given a tour of the White House beehives. Melania also seemed to make a joke about Charles’ sweet tooth during the stop and said, “We’ll put in extra for Their Majesties, yes? Because they are lovers of honey.” The easygoing back and forth also highlighted the unlikely friendship between the King and the First Lady, who were revealed to be pen pals at a certain point.
