Princess of Wales's touching tiara tribute as King Charles hosts German President at glittering festive banquet
Household staff spent an entire week setting up the table for the lavish state banquet
Windsor Castle was glittering in festive Christmas style as the Royal Family rolled out the red carpet for the German President and his wife for the first state visit in 27 years.
Listen to this article
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbunder were feted at the glittering celebration, with the table decorated in festive deep red poinsettias and bright red berries, and mini fir trees.
German supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her filmmaker husband Sir Matthew Vaughn, as well as Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler were among the guests.
Other famous names with German heritage or connections include movie-score composer Hans Zimmer and Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse, who lives in Germany.
Ten members of the royal family attended the white tie banquet, the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
Amid all the grandeur, the Princess of Wales drew the most admiration for wearing Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet tiara - a rarely seen piece of royal jewellery.
It was designed by German-born Prince Albert for his beloved wife and features lotus flowers within eleven Mughal arches and 2,600 diamonds from Garrard in London.
It was originally set with opals that were later replaced with rubies. It became an 'heirloom of the Crown' upon Victoria's death in 1901.
Guests at the banquet enjoyed a lavish menu including a Black Forest gateau cocktail which was created especially for the occasion in tribute to the King and Queen's German visitors, with the idea of serving a new tipple personalised for each state banquet a tradition started by Charles.
The drink blends cherry brandy with German chocolate which has been clarified into a clear liqueur, and will be served in a frosted glass with the rim dusted in chocolate and with a cherry as a garnish.
They also enjoyed hot-smoked trout with langoustines and quail eggs, Windsor partridge wrapped in pastry, crushed winter vegetables, a panaché of seasonal greens and a dramatic baked Alaska.
Such is the size of the towering Christmas tree, decorated with 15,000 sparkling lights, and green and gold ornaments, at the far end of the hall, that both the length of the mahogany dining table and the number of guests invited to the royal occasion had to be reduced.
One hundred and fifty two people, eight less than the usual 160 at Windsor banquets, sat around the 45 metre-long table, which is two metres shorter than usual.
A Palace aide said: "It's shorter because of the whopper tree and the guest numbers have been reduced to 152 to make room. It looks magnificent."
The aide added it was the first time in living memory a Christmas tree had been on show for a state banquet in the UK.
Queen Victoria and her German husband Prince Albert were responsible for popularising the German tradition of Christmas trees in Britain.
German-born Queen Charlotte, consort to George III, had previously introduced the idea to the Windsor Castle in the late 18th century, in the form of a yew branch, as was traditional in her home country.
Other guests included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was sat next to Schiffer, whose placename read Lady Vaughn, her title thanks to the husband's knighthood.
German former football player Thomas Hitzlsperger, who played for Aston Villa, the team the Prince of Wales supports, and England Lioness Georgia Stanway also attended.
The state visit is the first by a German leader to the UK in 27 years.
It is also the first time in 37 years that a British monarch has hosted three state visits in one year - with the last time in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II.
The King, who is still being treated for cancer, hosted French president Emmanuel Macron in the summer and US president Donald Trump in September.
The president sat between the King and Kate, while on the opposite side of the table Ms Budenbender sat between Camilla and William.
The menu, written in French as is the custom, consisted of open tartlet of hot smoked trout with langoustines, quail eggs and shellfish sauce, followed by Windsor partridge supreme wrapped in puff pastry with confit cabbage and port sauce with crushed carrots and swede and assortment of winter vegetable.
For dessert was a baked Alaska with blackberry, vanilla and raspberry ice creams, followed by coffee and petit fours.
The wine list diplomatically included a German white wine - Joh. Jos. Prum, Graacher Himmelreich, Spatlese, 2010 - and an English sparkling wine - Breaky Bottom, Cuvee Reynolds Stone, 2010, with a Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Vintage 2002 champagne.
A French red Chateau La Fleur-Petrus, Pomerol, 1995 was also chosen in a personal tribute to the president and his wife, in a nod to the year they married.
On the table were 158 candles, 760 glasses and 152 spoons, 320 knives and 320 forks.
The silver gilt Grand Service being used consisted of 4,000 pieces and was commissioned by the extravagant George IV as the Prince of Wales.
Household staff have spent the last week setting up the antique table.
The seasonal flowers were handpicked from the gardens at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and the Saville Garden in Windsor Great Park - with the poinsettias, popular as Christmas houseplants, coming from the Windsor greenhouses.
Afterwards, flowers that cannot be reused are donated to Floral Angels, a charity of which the Queen is patron, and delivered to hospices, elderly care homes and shelters.
Music played during the banquet by the Duchess of Edinburgh's String Orchestra included a repertoire of classical German and popular music, with Zimmer's film score tracks Gladiator, The Pacific, Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End.
Strauss' Blue Danube Waltzes, Mendelssohn's Canzonetta, and Handel's Five Pieces from Music for Royal Fireworks will also feature, along with Adele's Skyfall and a Beatles medley.