What we have learned from the list of state banquet guests

Under the golden portraits and armor costumes in the castle of Windsor, 160 guests defeated and dined in a sumptuous banquet to ensure that the second unprecedented state visit by American president Donald Trump in the United Kingdom on Wednesday evening.

With impeccable table settings, three -course meals and the personalized cocktail, which was there and, just as important, which was seated next to which is carefully planned, because the event is as much a question of diplomacy as of gastronomy.

The list of guests of this year was obviously lacking stars of the screen or faces of celebrities, without even royal perennials like Sir David Beckham or Sir Elton John.

Instead, the list was mainly Royals, technology and finance leaders and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic.

From the headquarters of Trump to the center of the table, next to his host King Charles III, people from top to bottom of the table varied by the less known but influential white house players.

Here are some notable guests – and their neighbors at the table.

The table leaned towards power, wealth and influence, including Apple Tim Cook boss,, Jensen Huang de Nvidia,, Sam Altman of Openai,, Blackstone Stephen Schwarzman And – always powerful after all these years, The owner of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch.

The last one is a surprising guest given the fact that Trump continues one of his newspapers for billions for allegations that he wrote a note framed by a drawing of a naked woman with a sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. Less surprising is perhaps that Murdoch, owner of The Sun and the Times, was sitting next to the main political spin of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Morgan McSweeney.

However, in purely financial terms, Murdoch’s newspapers are small fry. The others between them manage companies worth almost 10 billions of dollars – four times the value of the whole of the British economy.

The United States’s trade fees sat with British royalty and served an investment of 150 billion pounds in the United Kingdom in the coming years.

More than half of this (90 billion pounds sterling) comes from the giant of Blackstone investment capital – it is not surprising that the boss Stephen Schwarzman is sitting next to Sir Keir.

But what do these benefactors want in return? Abolishing the digital service tax of the United Kingdom, sweetening the online security law? No and no, insists on the government, which says that this sees the relationship similar to that which we share on defense and information.

As the Ukraine war has shown, Europe strongly depends on the United States for these things.

Some have described this as an invasion rather than an investment, the former META employee and the META employee, Sir Nick Clegg, warning that the United Kingdom could become a Vassal State creating new outbuildings on a handful of American companies.

For a government and a country that desperately needs investment and growth, you want to be the first when widespread – and the United Kingdom seems to be at the front of the queue.

Most of the table – nearly two dozen seats – was taken over by Trump’s camp, including his wife, daughter, son -in -law, and a multitude of upper members of his administration covering everything, from foreign policy to AI.

He was of course joined by his wife, Melania Trumpwhose signage plate simply read “Mrs. Trump”. She was sitting in front of her husband, between Queen Camilla and Prince of Wales, William, while Catherine, the Princess of Wales, was next to President Trump.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio marked a place of choice next to the king, with Lady Victoria Starmer, not her husband, on the other side.

Tiffany Trump, Fourth child of the president, was the only Trump’s children to attend the state banquet this time. During the last state visit in 2019, she was one of the four children to come. She was less involved in Trump administrations than her older brothers and sisters, but some like Ivanka Trump took a step back in her second term.

Tiffany’s husband Michael Boulos also assisted. He is no stranger to London, having studied in the city. He does not play a role in the Trump administration, but the president chose his father Massad Boulos as a key advisor, and the young Boulos was placed in a leading seat next to the princess of Wales.

Steve WitkoffA real estate tycoon has become Trump’s special envoy who plays a central role in foreign policy in wars in Ukraine and Gaza, probably found a lot to chat with his neighbor Jonathan Powell, National Security Advisor.

Susan Wiles, Chief of the White House Staff, was Trump’s campaign director in the 2024 elections. He called her the “ice girl” who operates mainly “behind”, but she is known as one of the most dreaded political agents in the United States. She was sitting next to someone with another important role but behind the scenes – King’s private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton.

Another appropriate twinning was David SacksThe AI ​​and the Crypto White House Crypto, next to Demis Hassabis, CEO and co-founder of Deepmind de Google, a British American company from AI.

King Charles was sitting next to her guest of honor Trump and Rubio, while the king’s daughter-in-law, the princess of Wales, was on the opposite side of Trump.

Queen Camilla was on the other side of the table, next to the First Lady, but more interesting, also flanked by the American secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.

Sitting next to the First Lady, The Prince of Wales could discuss more local questions with his other neighbor, Paula Reynolds, president of National Grid.

The royal princess, Anne, Who is known for his love of horses, was sitting next to the race horses coach John Gosden.

On the other side was the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom Warren Stephens, who welcomed Trump and the First Lady of his residence in Regents Park the first night when they arrived in the United Kingdom, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves on her opposite elbow.

Other members of the Royal Seniors family were seated next to the White House electric brokers.

Princess Anne’s husband Anne Vice-admiral Sir Timothy Laurence Sitting next to Trump’s assistant chief of staff to the security and internal security advisor Stephen Miller.

Next to The Duke of Gloucester, THE The cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff of the White House.

The Duchess of Gloucester was sitting next to James Blair, deputy chief of staff to legislative, political and public affairs.