Donald Trump is attending a state banquet this evening in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, but as he tucks in he will have to face an enemy he is currently suing
Donald Trump has been lapping up the pomp and ceremony today at Windsor Castle – but he will be dining tonight with an enemy he once considered a “very close friend”.
The US president will meet 94-year-old media tycoon Rupert Murdoch at a lavish banquet, with Trump fuming at allegations made in his Wall Street Journal that he sent a suggestive letter to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Trump denied he sent the letter – saying it was a “fake” – and is also suing the paper for defamation.
It certainly suggests tempers could be bristling at the dinner during Trump’s UK visit which has so far gone smoothly for the president, who has been successfully kept away from protesters.
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Following his claim that he would take legal action, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “I hope Rupert and his ‘friends’ are looking forward to the many hours of depositions and testimonies they will have to provide in this case.” While he described the Wall Street Journal as a “disgusting and filthy rag” as well as a “pile of garbage”.
Their relationship now is very different to how it began half a century ago when Murdoch bought the New York Post and Trump, with his reputation as a real estate tycoon, would feed it scoops.
Along with this, Murdoch was also the owner of Fox News, which would also channel plenty of positive news about Trump and his right-wing agenda. Trump’s political success helped Fox News to position itself as one of the most important media outlets in the US, while Fox personalities have joined the Trump administration, notably Secretary for Defence Pete Hegseth.
Murdoch and Trump “feed off one another — they’ve had this relationship since the ’70s where they kind of benefit from one another,” Andrew Dodd, a journalism professor at the University of Melbourne, told the LA Times. “But they also have these turns where they’re against each other.”
Their meeting now will be played out behind closed doors at the banquet table in St George’s Hall. Charles and Camilla surveyed the scene shown in footage posted on the official monarchy’s social media. Pink, purple and yellow blooms could be seen adorning the extravagant floral displays on the 50-metre table. The monarch and Camilla shook hands with Household staff who were behind the meticulous planning and staging of the grand affair.
The banquet comes at the end of a royal-focused first day, including a visit to the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II in St George’s Chapel, lunch with the Royal Family and a special Beating Retreat ceremony with a flypast from the Red Arrows.
State Banquet Menu
- Panna Cotta de Cresson et Œufs de Caille sur Sablé de Parmesan (Hampshire Watercress Panna Cotta with Parmesan Shortbread and Quail Egg Salad)
- Ballotine de Poulet Fermier en Robe de Courgettes (Organic Norfolk Chicken Ballotine wrapped in Courgettes, with a Thyme and Savoury Infused Jus)
- Bombe Glacée Cardinal (Vanilla Ice Cream Bombe with Kentish Raspberry Sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria Plums)
Wine list
- Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016
- Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, 2018
- Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000
- Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve, 1998
After dinner, guests will be served Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port, in recognition of Trump as the 45th, as well as the 47th, President of the United States; Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne, from his mum’s birth year (Mary Anne MacLeod); Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980, Islay, a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth in 1980, which was bottled for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
A cocktail has also been created for the occasion, called Transatlantic Whisky Sour, a UK/US twist on the classic Whisky Sour, this cocktail blends the smoky depth of Johnnie Walker Black with the bright citrus of marmalade. 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.
Along with the King and Queen, Donald and Melania Trump there will be the Prince and Princess of Wales attending the banquet. Also among those invited are Rupert Murdoch, Elena Murdoch, Morgan Sweeney, Scott Bessent, Keir Starmer, Marco and Jeanette Rubio, and Sir Stephen Schwarzman.