From mighty Tudor feasts to gargantuan coronation dinners, extravagant banquets have always been a part of royal life – and even the modern-day state dinners held at Buckingham Palace bear undoubtable similarities to the lavish celebrations of the past. Ahead of King Charles' coronation, we take a look at the greatest royal feasts through the ages.
Up until 1830, when the tradition was abandoned by King William IV, banquets were a key part of coronation festivities. Following the crowning ceremony, thousands of royals, dignitaries and other members of high society would gather for a decadent feast to celebrate the new monarch's ascension to the throne. Some 3,000 people gathered in Westminster Hall for Richard III's coronation banquet on 6 July 1483.
Spectators looked on from Westminster Hall's galleries as course after decadent course was presented to the king and his high-profile guests, who included such figures as John Sherwood, Bishop of Durham. It's thought that dishes included a striking pheasant platter, roasted bittern, pigeon and partridge, fresh sturgeon and crayfish, and baked quinces and oranges for dessert. While the feast unfolded, it was also traditional for the king's 'champion' to ride into the banquet hall dressed for battle, and for him to challenge any onlooking guests who may have wanted to deny the king's right to the throne.
Tudor banquets are renowned for having been extravagant affairs, with bountiful food and drink – and during his reign, Henry VIII held many a feast fit for a king. His coronation banquet, on 24 June 1509, was famously described at the time as being 'greater than any Caesar had known'. In his writings, Tudor chronicler Edward Hall gushed about the servings of 'sumptuous, fine and delicate meats [in] plentiful abundance'.
The event would have been a meat-heavy affair, with the insatiable king's favourite dishes including venison and birds such as swan or peacock, which were often served cooked on a platter with their feathers fanned flamboyantly as if they were still alive. Sweet puddings would have punctuated the savoury courses, rather than being served at the end. As was tradition, Henry VIII's 'champion' (then Sir Robert Dymoke) charged through the banquet hall after the second course. The feast was finished with a jousting tournament that reportedly lasted until midnight.
A little over a decade after his coronation, Henry VIII would hold one of the grandest events of his entire reign. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a 17-day jamboree of tournaments, merriment and, of course, feasting that was intended to strengthen the relationship between King Henry and François I of France, following the signing of the 1518 Treaty of London. The event was planned with exacting detail by the kings, and took place in northern France, near Calais, from 7-24 June 1520.
The Field of the Cloth of Gold was so named for the sheer amount of expensive 'cloth of gold' fabric that was used to craft the thousands of tents on the site. These tents played host to some dazzling feasts; according to historian Glenn Richardson in his book The Field of Cloth of Gold, various meats would have been served, though venison was the favoured choice, while poissonniers (fishmongers) would have laid on a bounty of fresh and saltwater fish. Expert pâtissiers provided an array of delectable sweet treats, and fine red wine was selected from Burgundy.
The Order of the Garter dates right back to the 1340s, when King Edward III, inspired by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, created his own Order of Chivalry. Garter Knights are still appointed to this day, and over the past seven centuries, their gatherings have involved sumptuous feasts. One of the most elaborate was held in 1671 by Charles II who, after a brief stint on the throne in the early 1650s, ruled England from 1660-85.
The Royal Collection Trust details the great quantities of splendid food that was fed to King Charles' hundreds of guests that evening. Breaking tradition with earlier Tudor banquets, this Stuart feast comprised mainly poultry and seafood. According to the Trust, guests gorged on 16 barrels of oysters, 1,500 crayfish and 2,150 poultry dishes, accompanied by 6,000 stalks of asparagus. The banquet was rounded off with 22 gallons of strawberries.
George IV had a chequered reputation during his reign (1820-30), and also prior to taking the throne, when he served as Prince Regent (1811-20). His extravagance and gluttony were condemned by many, including his own father, George III. However, unperturbed by his critics, George IV would throw some of the most grandiose banquets in royal history. These feasts included a night of royal revelry to celebrate his becoming Prince Regent in 1811, after his father's mental illness worsened.
Given his father's ill health, the timing of the banquet was considered tactless. As such, both Prince George's wife and his mother, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, were reportedly excluded from the evening's 2,000-strong guest list. Unfazed, he commissioned an ornate silver-gilt dining service known as the Grand Service (pictured), which is still used at royal banquets today. It comprises more than 4,000 pieces, including intricate plates, cutlery, candelabras and fruit stands.
To fill the opulent banquet room at Carlton House (pictured), Prince George also ordered a giant table complete with a stream and real fish running through it. Guests were fed a selection of succulent roasted meats, followed by sweet fruits like pineapples and peaches, and the festivities went on into the small hours of the morning.
Some six years after the Carlton House banquet, Prince George organised another elaborate feast that would go down in history. It was held in 1817, in honour of Grand Duke Nicolas of Russia, who was on a state visit to England. The banquet took place in the palatial Brighton Pavilion, formerly Prince George's modest lodging house.
The feast was expertly prepared by Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the most celebrated chefs of the day. The lauded chef whipped up more than 100 dishes for the Prince Regent and his regal guests. These included the head of a great sturgeon, cooked in Champagne, pigeon in crayfish butter, and rose ice cream. Most impressive of all was an intricate model of the Royal Pavilion made entirely from pastry.
George IV eventually took to the throne in 1820, and his coronation banquet, on 19 July 1821, was larger than life. As was traditional, it took place under the vaulted ceilings of Westminster Hall, which had been lavishly decorated with chandeliers and long, grand dining tables. The new monarch sat at the head of the room and, given his penchant for grand feasts, the food took centre stage.
George IV's trusted chef Marie-Antoine Carême catered for the event – and according to the Royal Collection Trust, he ended up inventing the King's favourite dish, turtle soup. Some 80 bowls of the costly soup were served at the coronation banquet. There are also reports of a model temple bedecked with sweetmeats, marzipan and sugar that guests broke edible pieces from.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had a well-documented love affair, and Albert's early death had a dramatic impact on the besotted monarch. Their wedding, on 10 February 1840, was the perfect excuse for a royal banquet – though, according to historic reports, the Queen would have really preferred a quieter, more intimate affair over the lavish events that ensued.
While the wedding breakfast passed in a flurry of fine meat and fish courses, it was the cake that really set tongues wagging. The wedding cake purportedly weighed 300Ibs, with a circumference of almost 10 feet (3m), and was decorated with orange blossom and sprigs of myrtle. It has been preserved to this day, and a slice of it in a presentation box fetched £1,500 ($2,000) at a 2016 auction.
Sixty years after her ascension to the throne, and 36 years after the death of her beloved Albert, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. The modest monarch was initially against all the fuss, but was eventually persuaded into a day of festivities, including parades and street feasts. A team of 24 chefs was brought over from Paris to help Victoria's master-chef Gabriel Tschumi prepare for the special occasion.
A menu from the eve of the jubilee, during which time Victoria banqueted with close friends and family, survives. It includes a series of delectable courses, from fillets of sole served Normandy style (in a creamy sauce), to fine cuts of roast beef. On Jubilee Day, regular citizens ate like royals, too: food was laid on for some 400,000 people in the capital, and free tobacco and bottled ale was also on offer.
By this point in history, extravagant coronation banquets were much less common. Nevertheless, Edward VII's ascension to the throne was celebrated with a grand feast. Gabriel Tschumi, the same master chef who served Edward's predecessor Queen Victoria, set about preparing an indulgent menu for the king and his esteemed company. The guest list included a whole host of British and international royals.
Tschumi's menu included woodcock, chicken, salmon and a bounty of colourful fruit. The most interesting feature of the menu, according to the Royal Collection Trust, was a rich dish of snipe (wading bird) cutlets smothered in brandy, pâté and golden breadcrumbs, then placed within a pork caul. This meaty dish was served with beans, truffles and mushrooms, and doused in a Madeira truffle sauce. Beyond the royal table, there were lively parades and street feasts across the city of London.
Royal weddings have captured the nation's attention in recent years, and it was no different in the early half of the 20th century. All eyes were on George VI and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later known as the Queen Mother) on 26 April 1923, after they were married at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony was followed by a regal wedding breakfast, which had echoes of the royal banquets of yore.
The banquet was prepared by Gabriel Tschumi, and the fine succession of courses had a strong French influence. Main events included supreme of salmon, lamb chops, and asparagus in a creamy sauce. The wedding breakfast was wrapped up with a moreish dessert of strawberries and cream.
The young Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952, and the British tour of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden was the first significant state visit of Her Majesty's reign. The incoming visit from the king and his wife, Queen Louise of Sweden, called for a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace – the kind that is still a feature of royal life today.
The banquet was held in the glittering Buckingham Palace ballroom, and long tables were dressed with the Grand Service, commissioned by George IV in the early 1800s. The evening included speeches and toasts, plus a four-course meal (fish followed by meat, sweet treats and a fruit course), all washed down with fine wines and Champagne. As remains tradition, 12 pipers played immediately after the meal, before the quests were whisked into a state room for petit fours and coffee.
While most modern state banquets are held at Buckingham Palace, some take place at the imposing royal residence of Windsor Castle. This was the case for the former French president Nicolas Sarközy and First Lady Carla Bruni Sarközy, who visited Britain on a state visit in 2008. Some 150 guests sat down to a feast at the castle, including thenPrime Minister Gordon Brown and David Cameron, who was at that time the Leader of the Opposition.
Guests were led to a 170-foot (52m) mahogany table set up in St George's Hall and, after the Queen paid tribute to Britain's special relationship with France in her customary speech, the feasting began. The French-inspired menu kicked off with a fillet of brill, followed by lamb in a creamy hazelnut sauce. Fine wines served reportedly included a 1961 Château Margaux.
In one of the most talked-about state visits in history, former US president Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama graced the lavish rooms of Buckingham Palace in the spring of 2011. The palace's sparkling ballroom played host to upwards of 170 guests, including Hollywood heavyweights such as Tom Hanks (who revealed that the late Queen enjoyed a Martini with dinner) and Helena Bonham Carter. The Queen's speech celebrated Britain's 'most important ally', then the guests tucked into a magnificent feast.
The guests dined at a splendid horseshoe-shaped table bedecked with items from George IV's Grand Service. Their first course was a delicate fillet of sole with sauce Nantua, a kind of creamy sauce made with crayfish. Next followed lamb, served with green beans, sautéed courgettes and radishes, and boulangère potatoes (a layered potato dish similar to dauphinoise). A vanilla charlotte with fresh fruit was dished up for dessert.
Continuing tradition, when China's president Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan visited the UK in 2015, they were entertained at Buckingham Palace. The event garnered much attention, especially because it was the first time Kate Middleton, then Duchess of Cambridge, had attended a state banquet of this kind. She took pride of place on the top table alongside the Chinese president and Queen Elizabeth II.
The usual speeches gave way to an impressive dinner. For a starter, the guests were treated to a fillet of west coast turbot with a lobster mousse, while the main was a roasted loin of Balmoral venison with cocotte potatoes and braised red cabbage. An indulgent dark chocolate, mango and lime délice and a selection of fruits rounded off the feast. The banquet hall echoed with the sound of a string orchestra, which played numerous Chinese folk songs.
During Donald Trump’s three-day state visit to the UK in 2019, Queen Elizabeth II hosted a banquet at Buckingham Palace. As expected, there was a lot of media attention around the event. During the dinner, then–President Trump sat between the Queen and the then–Prince Charles, with his wife Melania on the other side of the Prince. Prince William and the then–Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, sat at either end of the top of the horseshoe-shaped table, which was decorated with huge bouquets of flowers, seasonal fruit and more than 100 ivory-coloured candles.
After the speeches, in which Trump toasted to 'the eternal friendship of our people', guests tucked into a lavish four-course meal. The starter was a steamed fillet of halibut with watercress mousse, followed by a saddle of new season Windsor lamb for the main course. Dessert was strawberry sable with lemon verbena cream, finished with assorted fresh fruits, coffee and petit fours. The wine served included a 2014 Windsor Great Park English sparkling and a 1990 Chateau Lafite Rothschild.
In November 2022, just two months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted their very first state banquet, welcoming South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and his wife Tshepo Motsepe to Buckingham Palace. Prince William and Kate Middleton, the now-Prince and Princess of Wales, were among the 160 guests at the glittering white tie event, which, as per the King's instruction, saw only sustainable flowers used for decoration. Queen Camilla paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II by wearing her diamond and sapphire tiara for the occasion.
The lavish menu offered diners a choice between grilled brill and Windsor pheasant for their main course, alongside side dishes of Chantenay carrots, kale with roasted butternut squash, braised fondant potatoes and salad. The desserts were equally tempting, with options including iced vanilla parfait with caramelised apples, and coffee with a selection of delectable bite-sized confectionery. To accompany the feast, guests were treated to a 1983 Taylor's Vintage Port and a 2000 Pomerol wine.
Discover what Queen Elizabeth II loved to eat, and other royal food favourites