Visitors will see the traditional horseshoe-shaped State Banquet table, (adjusted in size to accommodate the visitor route), set with dazzling silver-gilt from the Grand Service and adorned with magnificent flower arrangements. Film footage will show the behind-the-scenes work of Royal Household staff.
The planning process for the banquet begins six months before the Visit as an event of this scale requires a great deal of attention to detail. There are more than 1,000 glasses to polish, around 170 linen napkins to fold and over 20 flower displays to arrange. The tables are laid up with great precision using rulers with the specific measurements for the placing of guests and for the position of glasses and cutlery. Her Majesty takes a close interest in all aspects of the planning, and approves the choice of menu and the seating arrangements, and always makes the final check of the table.
George IV's siver-gilt tableware forms the core of the royal silver and encompasses the best examples of 19th-century design, drawing on Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and medieval sources. The dining plate is dominated by the monumental Mercury and Bacchus and Apples of the Hesperides candelabra, which stand over a metre tall and are always placed on the table opposite Her Majesty The Queen and the visiting Head of State.
