Wednesday 23 November 2022 01:17 AM ROBERT HARDMAN watches the Royal Family at their best as King hosts first state ... trends now
Laid out around the Buckingham Palace ballroom, the finest gold and silver pieces from George IV's Grand Service looked as magnificent as they have always done.
The sight of almost 1,000 glasses (six for every one of the 161 guests, each seated precisely 18 inches apart) plus a similar array of silver-gilt cutlery never fails to impress the grandest state visitor. Ditto the Household Cavalry and the horses and carriages of Royal Mews in their full splendour.
It is all part of the soft-power masterclass that is a British state visit.
Yet it was not hard to spot one or two subtle changes too, yesterday, as the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, became the first state visitor to be welcomed to this country by King Charles III.
Take the flowers, for example. Instead of the voluptuous, almost effusive displays which would previously cascade over the table at these events, we had more restrained vases of autumnal golds and reds, picked at the Palace and Windsor (not a single stem was imported). Sustainability is now a top priority. Hence the source of the pheasant on last night's banquet menu: Windsor Great Park.
Laid out around the Buckingham Palace ballroom, the finest gold and silver pieces from George IV's Grand Service looked as magnificent as they have always done
The most obvious change, however, was, simply, the maleness of it all.
The arrival of Mr Ramaphosa was certainly a landmark in several regards. This was the first state occasion of the new reign, the first state visit in more than three years and the first of Rishi Sunak's government.
Britain's last state visitor was Donald Trump in June 2019. Back then, however, Britain had a female Prime Minister as well as a Queen regnant.
Last night's state banquet produced a sight we have not seen here in more than 70 years: two men sitting next to each other in pride of place at the top of the table. The masculine feel of yesterday's welcome was amplified by the fact that President Ramaphosa had arrived alone, without the First Lady, who had remained in South Africa recovering from eye surgery.
The traditional pavilion had been erected on Horse Guards for the formal welcome and inspection of the Guard of Honour, in this case Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards.
The president was running a few minutes late and, not being a military man, made swift work of walking up and down the ranks.
With officials keeping an eye on the time, the King then ushered him into the Irish State Coach, together with the Queen Consort, for the procession to the Palace.
The VIP greeting line which had assembled on Horse Guards – including the Prime Minister and the chiefs of the Armed Forces – would receive their introductions
