Donald Trump was wined and dined at his glitzy state banquet on Wednesday.

Staff had started putting the 42.32metre – or 51.75yard – long table at St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle together a week ago.

It boasted 139 candles, 1,452 pieces of cutlery, all lovingly polished by hand, and seated 160 guests, each with five glasses by their setting.

The menu for Wednesday’s dinner features Hampshire watercress panna cotta, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and vanilla ice bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior.

King Charles and Queen Camilla had earlier inspected the banquet table.

The royal couple surveyed the scene shown in footage posted on the official monarchy’s social media.

Pink, purple and yellow blooms could be seen adorning the extravagant floral displays.

‘As long as 2.7 Marine Ones laid end to end,’ one member of staff said proudly, in reference to the President’s helicopter.

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A view of the banquet table in St George’s Hall, Windsor Castle

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The menu for Wednesday’s dinner features Hampshire watercress panna cotta, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and vanilla ice bombe with a Kentish raspberry sorbet interior

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The King’s place setting on the banquet table which is being held for Trump’s second state visit

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Palace staff began construction on the elaborate table a week ago ahead of the state banquet

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Everything had been perfected for the meal – and the King has also ensured some very personal touches on the menu including drinks in honour of Trump’s beloved mother

Every element of the banquet is checked and approved by the King, down to the very last detail.

As well as a feast for the eyes, the guests looked forward to an indulgent menu.

To start, diner can tuck in to a Panna Cotta de Cresson et Oeufs de Caille sur Sablé de Parmesan (Hampshire watercress panna cotta with parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad) before moving on to a Ballotine de Poulet Fermier en Robe de Courgettes (Organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in courgettes, with a thyme and savoury infused jus).

For dessert there was a Bombe Glacée Cardinal (Vanilla ice cream bombe with Kentish raspberry sorbet interior with lightly poached Victoria plums).

To pair with the meal was an extensive wine list which includes Wiston Estate, Cuvée, 2016, Domaine Bonneau du Martray, Corton-Charlemagne,, Grand Cru, 2018, Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 2000 and Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve, 1998.

While after dinner guests will be served Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port as a nod to Trump’s position as both the 45th and 47th US President.

In a touching tribute to Trump’s beloved late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, a Hennessy Grande Champagne Cognac was served from 1912 – the year of her birth.

And in a nod to Charles’ mother, Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980, from Islay which was a gift to the late Queen Elizabeth in 1980, which was bottled for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

To enjoy the delicious feast, guests were sat in the impressive St George’s Hall which is the largest room in the castle at 55.5 metres long (180ft) and nine metres wide (29.5ft), and the 50 metre (164ft) table stretches its full length.

The castle’s staff will have started constructing the mahogany table almost a week ago with the special crockery, glassware and other elements brought up form the safes.

Tablecloths and napkins – folded in the shape of a Dutch bonnet – cruet sets, elaborate floral decorations, priceless plates, candelabra and six glasses – for water, a champagne toast, red and white wines, a dessert wine and port – will all have carefully been put in order.

Every place setting must be precisely 18 inches apart – with measuring sticks used to ensure absolute precision and staff even wearing special shoes to clamber on to the table.

The footmen and women must make sure every chair is exactly the same distance from the table and each glass is the same distance from the front edge of the table.

Some 19 stations were set up around the edge of the room, each manned by four staff – a page, footman, under butler and a wine butler – who use a traffic light system to coordinate the serving of courses.

Detailed diagrams are used to illustrate the serving plans and a list of special instructions sets out any dietary requirements and requests for royals and other guests.

In a tradition started by the King, a bespoke cocktail has been created specially for the occasion, which celebrates the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US.

The drink – a transatlantic Whiskey Sour – is a UK/US twist on the classic Whisky Sour and combines the smokiness of Johnnie Walker Black with the citrus of marmalade.

The menu describes the cocktail as being ‘crowned with a pecan foam and garnished with a toasted marshmallow set on a star-shaped biscuit,’ adding that it should evoke the ‘warmth of a fireside S’more’.

Mr Trump is a teetotaller, so will not indulge in sampling the variety of vintage wines on offer, nor the cocktail unless it is alcohol-free.

For French President Emmanuel Macron’s state dinner, the alcoholic tipple was named L’entente – in a nod to the L’Entente Cordiale – and it combined British gin with lemon curd and French pastis and was garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses, while the Japanese state visit was honoured with a yuzu marmalade sour, featuring whisky and marmalade and resembling the flag of Japan.

Preparations for a state banquet start six months before the big event and it usually takes household staff around three days to lay the table.

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Pink, purple and yellow blooms adorn the extravagant floral displays which have been checked over by the King himself

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Pipers rehearse next to the banquet table in St George’s Hall in honour of Trump

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Staff had started putting the 42.32 metre – or 51.75 yard – long table at St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle together a week ago

Guests – who have been invited on the basis of their cultural, diplomatic or economic links to the US – will dine on an exquisite menu, written in French, prepared by royal chefs and served on historic, priceless dinner sets.

Former US president Barack Obama’s state banquet in 2011 was sprinkled with Hollywood stardust, with a guest list including actor Tom Hanks, actress Helena Bonham Carter and director Tim Burton.

But the dinner for Mr Trump’s last state visit in 2019 was more trade and business rather than show business.

The King and Queen will head members of the royal family, with the Prince of Wales expected to attend, and the Princess of Wales likely, but not yet confirmed, to join him, along with other Windsors.

The monarch will be seated next to Mr Trump in the middle of one side of the table, with Mrs Trump and Camilla opposite them on the other side.

At Mr Macron’s banquet, Kate was seated next to the president at his right hand side, while William was opposite, next to France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron.

Other royals will be spread around the table between the guests.

Much has shifted within the royal family over the last six years amid a change in reign, the occurrence of royal scandal, and the passing of time.

Absent will be the disgraced Duke of York, who attended last time but since then was forced to step down from the working monarchy over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The attending royals have yet to be announced, but at the last state banquet for Mr Trump, there were 16 family members.

The late Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted the occasion in 2019, died three years ago.

The Duke of Kent is grieving his wife the Duchess of Kent, whose funeral is taking place on Tuesday, and Princess Alexandra is now frail and has not attended banquets for several years.

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The decorations include napkins folded in the shape of a Dutch bonnet and six glasses – for water, a champagne toast, red and white wines, a dessert wine and port

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Elaborate floral decorations are also included between place settings which are precisely 18 inches apart

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The King is involved in every aspect of the occasion and earlier in the day was spotted inspecting the table ahead of the banquet (pictured)

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Camilla joined her husband to ensure that everything was just right before their illustrious guests arrived

Missing too will be Lord Peter Mandelson, who was sacked as US ambassador by the Prime Minister just days before the event, after it emerged he sent supportive messages to sex offender Epstein.

Sir Keir Starmer, who is facing a challenging week amid the furore over Lord Mandelson, the fallout of Angela Rayner’s resignation and frustrations from MPs, will be expected to put on his white tie and tails and turn up to join the guests.

But Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is boycotting the banquet in a protest against Mr Trump’s position on Gaza.

Royal chef Mark Flanagan and his team of 20 chefs will serve seasonal produce, sourced from royal estates.

Charles and Camilla will have selected the final menu, which will be expected to include a nod to the US, from a series of four alternatives.

Seasonal flowers handpicked from the gardens at Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park will be on show arranged in elaborate displays along the table in silver-gilt centrepieces.

After the banquet, the flowers are usually donated to Floral Angels, a charity of which Camilla is patron, which delivers the blooms to hospices, elderly care homes and shelters.