Palace Breaks Silence After Report That Tempers Flared Between Donald Trump’s Team and King Charles’ Royal Chefs
Just when it appeared that U.S. President Donald Trump‘s state visit to the U.K. went off without a hitch, a report has claimed that secret service agents had it out with King Charles‘ chefs.
On Sept. 17, Donald and Melania Trump, as well as the royals, dignitaries, and other VIPs gathered at St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle for the all-important state banquet. Before the dinner, both the king and president spoke about their relationship and the bond between the countries. While everything seemed to be going fine in front of the guests, there was a report that wasn’t the case behind the scenes, as the kitchen staffers and chefs were at odds with Trump’s Secret Service.
Here’s more on what was reported to have occurred and what the Palace has said about that.
The Palace’s reaction to the claims
According to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana’s former chef, Darren McGrady, there is a ton of meticulous planning that goes into a state banquet, as everything has to be “perfect” on the Palace’s end.
McGrady explained that when ordering and preparing the food, everything is done with “attention to detail. For example, for a banquet at Windsor, Covent Garden would deliver all the fruit. We served four courses plus dessert — dessert being fruit after pudding for the royals. If we needed 96 pears, they’d send 250, and we’d check each one for ripeness and blemishes. Same with meats — everything had to be perfect. Normally, there would be 10 chefs, but for a state banquet, all 20 chefs were on duty all week. It wasn’t just the banquet — it was state banquet week.”
Given all that goes into putting everything together for the dinner, the chefs likely wouldn’t want to be interrupted while cooking the meals. But a report claims they were by secret service agents who were watching their preparations extremely closely and even sampling the food as they were making it.
Regarding the situation, sources told the Daily Mail: “The banquet was a resounding success in the main hall, but there was a disruption behind the scenes. Tensions flared between the chefs preparing the meal and the U.S. security team responsible for protecting the president and his entourage. The chefs, working to plate three courses flawlessly, grew frustrated [with] U.S. Secret Service agents repeatedly checking and even sampling all the food.
“What began as quiet irritation escalated into a heated exchange, with raised voices on both sides. It took several minutes for tempers to cool and for the kitchen to return to its usual rhythm. Guests in the hall remained completely unaware of the row, but in the kitchen, it was impossible to miss.”
However, a Palace insider denied the reports, saying: “This story, and these claims, are categorically untrue.”
What guests were served for dinner
So just what did the chefs make for the 160 guests who attended the state banquet?
For the first course, they dined on Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, followed by the main course, which was organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes with thyme and infused jus. For dessert, guests were served a vanilla ice cream bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior and lightly poached Victoria plums.
After dinner drinks included a 1945 vintage port and a 1912 cognac. The latter represents the year Donald Trump’s Scottish-American mother was born.
