Royals present festive greeting at glittering state banquet

King Charles hosted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a glittering state Christmas banquet at Windsor Castle.

Celebrity guests included model Claudia Schiffer, sitting alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, film composer Hans Zimmer and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter.

The banquet was attended by 152 guests, including politicians, business leaders and celebrities, at a seasonally decorated St George’s Hall, with a 20ft (6m) Christmas tree covered in thousands of lights.

In his speech, King Charles spoke directly about the need for Western allies to defend Ukraine against Russian invasion.

“The United Kingdom and Germany together support Ukraine and strengthen Europe against the threat of further Russian aggression,” the King said at the banquet.

These speeches are written on the advice of government ministers and were delivered in the context of international negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

In response, President Steinmeier said that Germany “stands side by side with Ukraine.”

In his speech he mentioned that the Christmas tree was originally a German tradition, first appearing in the United Kingdom at Windsor in 1800, brought by Queen Charlotte, the German wife of George III.

Senior royals including Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended in the first German state visit in 27 years.

Catherine wore one of Queen Victoria’s tiaras, made of diamonds and rubies and designed by her German-born husband, Prince Albert.

In a speech delivered in both English and German, the King spoke of the long history of cultural ties between the two countries and also of the “most terrible consequences of the conflict.”

The King also spoke of the major social and political changes that have occurred in the decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, saying that such changes can be “disturbing and even frightening.”

“Fear can generate anger and resentment,” said the King, who stressed the need to defend the values ​​of “democracy, freedom and the rule of law.”

There were also happier moments, including traditional football rivalries.

“You have to admit some truth in the famous description of football as a game in which 11 people play against 11 people and in the end, Germany wins!”

And the King described a royal horse-drawn carriage as the ultimate low-emission vehicle.

The banquet menu was a mix of British and German cuisine.

• Hot smoked trout tartlet with prawns, quail eggs and seafood sauce
• Windsor partridge supreme wrapped in puff pastry with candied cabbage and port sauce
• Shredded carrots and turnips
• Assortment of winter vegetables.
• Baked Alaska with blackberry, vanilla and raspberry ice cream

There was a special cocktail for the event, made with cherry brandy and chocolate, intended to evoke the classic retro taste of Black Forest cake.

The banquet followed a day of ceremonial events for the president and his wife Elke Budenbender.

They were given a formal welcome ceremony and watched a military parade in the manicured gardens of Windsor Castle, involving 850 service personnel and 150 horses.

At the castle there was an exchange of official gifts. The German visitors, perhaps trying to show that they had a sense of humor, gave the king an umbrella.

The King was also presented with a copy of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Christmas tree decorations, a nutcracker and a special cheese from a German eco-village.

For President Steinmeier, the king gave a horn-handled walking stick made by an artisan on the Isle of Mull, a decorative plate, and a first edition of Virginia Woolf’s biography of Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s dog, named Flush.

These state visits are aimed at projecting soft power and building relationships, and the three-day visit is a mix of pageantry, politics and cultural ties.

After a morning of royal hospitality, the president met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for talks in Downing Street.

The German president said relations between the two countries were in “much better shape” after “some years of increasing difficulties” following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union in 2016.

“We have a new security situation in Europe, if not the whole world,” he said, praising a treaty between the United Kingdom and Germany signed in July for helping to bring about closer cooperation.

Meanwhile, Ms Budenbender visited Judith Kerr Primary School in south-east London, to mark the connection with her namesake, Judith Kerr, the German author of the children’s book The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

There will be symbolic signs of reconciliation during the state visit, including the German president’s visit to the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, bombed during the Second World War.

This reflects a visit to Hamburg during the UK’s state visit to Germany, when King Charles laid a wreath in memory of civilian victims of Allied wartime bombing.

Earlier in the day, anti-monarchy group Republic had said police had stopped them from holding a protest and displaying a banner on the route alongside the procession, saying it was a “shameful attack on freedom of expression”.

In response, Thames Valley Police said they had “facilitated a peaceful protest” and that officers had “asked them to retreat to our designated protest area” and detained them using a loudspeaker when horses were nearby.

“Everyone has the right to protest, but if these demonstrations become disruptive or pose a threat to the public or animals in the procession, we will take appropriate action,” police said, adding that no arrests had been made.