State banquets at Buckingham Palace are known for their precision and grandeur, but behind the scenes, the late Queen Elizabeth II was the one ensuring every detail was perfect. According to her former press secretary, the monarch would personally walk around the table before guests arrived, checking everything from the cutlery to the flowers.
In the latest episode of HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, Queen Elizabeth's former press secretary, Ailsa Anderson, revealed that the monarch would personally walk around the banqueting table before a state dinner to ensure everything looked exactly as it should.
"The late Queen used to go around the banqueting table and check if all the cutlery was in the right place, if the flowers looked okay," shared Ailsa. "She could spot a mistake at 100 paces. She really could."
Ailsa went on to explain that the late Queen also took a keen interest in the menu, ensuring the food showcased British produce while also paying tribute to the visiting country.
She added: "With State visits, we always wanted to have the foods locally sourced, so if it was meat, it'd be meat from either the Windsor estate or Sandringham.
"We would also try to match the wine with the country that we were hosting. So if it were a French State visit, we would serve French wine. So just giving a nod to the country that we were hosting."
To listen to the full discussion, you can tune into Best Quality Designer Handbag 's A Right Royal Podcast now.
