King Charles' baffling wine drinking etiquette at state banquet decoded by butler

Knowing your way around an array of cutlery is one thing, but five glasses is another. Guests at King Charles and Queen Camilla's state banquet for the Sultan of Oman sat down to a cluster of glassware at their places along the 50-meter-long table inside St George's Hall. 

It was a rather thirty-looking place setting, but each glass had a purpose, as Dan McLauchlan, known as Dan the Butler, explained. Dan, who has previously worked for the Countess of Sandwich and Joan Rivers, decoded the five glasses that were laid out before the 160 banquet guests, which included the Prince and Princess of Wales,  at Windsor Castle on October 20.

The King's glassware explained

Speaking to HELLO!, Dan pointed out: "The far right is the water because that's the most accessible. It's also the only one that isn't patterned."

"There are only two knives, so the two glasses on the same row as the water glass will be for the first and second courses. The one next to the water glass is the wine that's [paired] for the first course. The glass next to that is the wine that's been paired for the main.

"The coupe on the right in the second row is for champagne, either as a palate-cleanser or a toast. The one next to the coupe I assume is for the dessert wine as it's too large for port."

Although five glasses might seem like a lot, state banquets sometimes feature more than that. Dan said: "Normally, state banquets have six glasses, but they have had them with five before."

A selection of wines were served at the banquet for the Sultan, along with a collection of special tea blends - Iced Earl Grey & Date, an Iced Mint & Rose, or a Warm Cardamom-Spiced Blend sweetened with Windsor Honey - inspired by the Omani ritual of Kahwa. In addition to the multitude of glasses, the table on October 20 was set with 480 knives, 480 forks, 160 spoons, 124 cruet spoons and 288 pieces of service cutlery. Among the many silver gilt pieces from the Royal Collection was a 1833 candelabra commissioned by William VI. 

Pomegranates harvested from a tree planted on the castle's East Terrace by the late Duke of Edinburgh half a century ago decorated the lengthy table, along with handpicked dahlias, roses, hydrangea, cyclamen and verbena from the gardens at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and The Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park.

The royal family has revealed in the past that the Waterloo Table, which can seat 162 state banquet guests, takes 10 people four days to set up in St George's Hall. 

As the Royal Collection Trust notes, the dinners "are not just about magnificent food and sparkling chandeliers; they are a glimpse into a fascinating world of diplomacy and tradition."

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