LONDON – The lavish Windsor Castle banquet held as the centrepiece of President Donald Trump’s State visit to Britain was hit by a furious behind-the-scenes row.
The spectacular dinner saw Trump and his wife Melania hosted by King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate, surrounded by dozens of high-flying business chiefs and diplomats from both sides of the Atlantic.
But as the 160 VIP guests enjoyed their three course meal in the refined surroundings of Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall, tensions ‘below stairs’ were soon boiling over.
Sources have told the Daily Mail that several members of the Secret Service team guarding the President went into the kitchen to oversee the preparation and even tasting the food – which some kitchen staff felt was disruptive.
The guests were blissfully unaware but the atmosphere in the kitchen quickly became tense as tempers began to fray between kitchen staff and visiting American security.
The royal source said: ‘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 US security team responsible for protecting the president and his entourage.
‘The chefs, working to plate three courses flawlessly, grew frustrated as US 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.’
The opulent three-course dinner menu – which was written in French – consisted of Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad to start, brought to a table set with 1 452 pieces of silver cutlery and five wine glasses a head.
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