This wasn’t just any gathering; it was a feast of power and influence. Inside a venerable, nearly thousand-year-old castle, the world’s most affluent and connected figures converged at a single, grand table. The guest of honor, radiant in white tie, appeared utterly content, experiencing the rare privilege of being treated as a monarch by a reigning king.
King Charles III’s state dinner for President Trump at Windsor Castle on Wednesday night marked a new peak for the American leader. It was a dazzling display where the influential vied to secure or maintain favor with a president whose second term has been characterized by stark displays of power, often manifesting as retaliation against domestic adversaries and the weakening of international alliances.
King Charles remarked on the “remarkable bond” between the two nations, emphasizing an “unshakable trust” in their friendship and a shared dedication to independence and liberty.
The president, seemingly delighted by the entire affair, remained unperturbed even as the King subtly pressed for action on environmental concerns and continued support for Ukraine.
Mr. Trump then declared it a “singular privilege” to be the first American president welcomed at Windsor Castle for a state dinner. It’s worth noting that these events typically occur at Buckingham Palace in London, currently undergoing renovations. However, this wasn’t Mr. Trump’s first state dinner there, having attended one during his initial presidency, and other U.S. presidents have also visited the castle, though not always for a full state dinner.
Britain’s intentions were transparent: the royal family, in concert with the government, bestowed lavish attention and honors upon the president. The hope was that this cordial reception on Wednesday would make him more amenable during Thursday’s diplomatic discussions with the prime minister, securing a favorable outcome for one of America’s oldest allies.
Beyond the royal hosts and the guest of honor, the banquet hall buzzed with 160 attendees. The clinking of 1,452 pieces of cutlery underscored the gathering of media titans, financial moguls, prominent politicians, and leading tech figures. Among these power brokers were also members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet and his most senior White House staff.
The seating arrangement itself was a historical artifact, a snapshot of Western power dynamics worthy of study for centuries to come. This was no ordinary celebrity gala, devoid of the usual pop stars, actors, or fashion icons Mr. Trump often favors. This evening was explicitly about raw influence, not mere fame.
Among the notable guests, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was positioned next to Stephen Schwarzman, the influential New York financier and head of Blackstone. Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, was also present. Sam Altman, the “boy-king” of Silicon Valley’s AI scene, found himself next to Kemi Badenoch, the leader of Britain’s Conservative Party. Other tech giants included Demis Hassabis, who leads Google’s secretive DeepMind AI lab in London, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Salesforce co-founder Marc Benioff. Even Apple CEO Tim Cook was in attendance.
Cook’s presence was particularly striking. Only weeks prior, he had visited the Oval Office, publicly presenting a beaming Mr. Trump with an ornate piece of Corning glass, a gesture meant to highlight Apple’s U.S. investments and mend a strained relationship. Mr. Trump had been notably displeased when Cook skipped a Middle East trip with other tech leaders the previous May, publicly criticizing him on two separate occasions during the tour.
So, on Wednesday, there sat Cook, beside Tiffany Trump in the grand banquet hall. Aside from First Lady Melania Trump, who was seated between Queen Camilla and Prince William, Tiffany and her husband were the sole Trump family members present.
However, another attendee on Wednesday spoke volumes: media titan Rupert Murdoch, seated across and a few spots right of Cook. His relationship with Mr. Trump is notoriously complicated, currently in an “off” phase. Just months ago, Murdoch’s flagship paper, The Wall Street Journal, published a story about Mr. Trump’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, leading the president to deny the claims and sue the publication and its owner. The lawsuit became notably personal, with Mr. Trump successfully demanding health updates from the 94-year-old Murdoch after pushing for his deposition within days.
Murdoch, despite being out of the president’s direct line of sight at the long table, remained present, enduring a speech extolling Mr. Trump. Interestingly, he was seated next to Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister’s chief of staff, who has been heavily scrutinized in the media, particularly by Murdoch’s own publications.
Even amidst this evening of elaborate deference, Mr. Trump’s desire for retribution lingered. Post-dinner, he jubilantly announced on social media that ABC had indefinitely pulled comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s show, a known Trump critic, reportedly due to administration pressure. He further declared the “Antifa” movement a “MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” all while preparing to spend the night within the castle walls.
Windsor Castle, the world’s oldest and largest continuously inhabited castle, has stood since William I’s Norman Conquest in 1066. Its defenses include a moat, thick stone walls, and a labyrinth of rooms. The majestic banquet hall, adorned with the shields of the Knights of the Garter from 1348, sees polished suits of armor silently overseeing the dining table from their perches.
Yet, beyond the castle’s formidable gates, a different reality awaited Mr. Trump – a world unlikely to offer the same deference as the influential guests at Windsor. Just the previous week, his first public dinner in Washington since his return was interrupted by protesters, some supporting Gaza, who vocally compared him to Adolf Hitler, leading to their swift removal.
Even within Britain, the night before the state dinner, protestors projected images of Mr. Trump with Jeffrey Epstein onto the castle walls, a stark reminder of the political controversies that shadow him.
Ultimately, even fortresses are temporary shields. And no grand banquet can truly last forever.