The White House has served a three-course meal, with a dessert made from honey produced by Melania Trump's beehive, during the state dinner honouring King Charles and Queen Camilla. The first lady planned the Tuesday night dinner to celebrate the special relationship between the US and UK as Americans mark 250 years of independence.
Guests began with a hearts of palm salad and garden herb velouté sauce, followed by handcrafted spring herb ravioli. The third course was Dover sole meunière, served with sweet snow peas and layered potatoes pavé. The highlight was a beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau, a French flourless cake filled with vanilla bean crémeux custard, accompanied by crème fraîche ice cream and White House honey.
The king and queen arrived in the US on Monday for their four-day visit. President Donald Trump and Melania welcomed the beekeeping enthusiasts and showed them the first lady's new beehive, shaped like a miniature White House. The White House beekeeping programme began in 2009 under the Obama administration; Melania's new hive adds two bee colonies to the existing two, increasing annual honey production by about 30 pounds. The honey will be used in White House dishes, given as official gifts, and donated to local food kitchens.
The state dinner was served on Clinton and Bush china, paired with three wines: Hopkins Riesling 'Heritage' 2024, Penner-Ash Pinot Noir 'Willamette Valley' 2022, and Newton Chardonnay 'Unfiltered' 2022. The guest list included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Paramount chief David Ellison, several Supreme Court justices, Fox News hosts, Cabinet members, and members of Congress. British attendees included Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Ambassador Christian Turner.
After Washington, Charles and Camilla will travel to New York on Wednesday to meet first responders and families affected by the 9/11 attacks. They will conclude their visit on Thursday in Virginia, participating in community events.
