Ella Scott
King Charles III may not have been wholly impressed by Melania Trump’s state dinner, with a royal expert revealing he had one main menu aversion.
On Tuesday (28 April), Donald Trump, 79, and his wife, 56, became the first President and First Lady of the United States to host a British monarch at the White House in almost two decades.
The pair, who also invited over 100 Republican lawmakers, broadcasters, and sports stars to the meal, put on a stunning four-course dinner in honour of Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 78.
French-inspired cuisine reigned supreme; a delicate garden herb velouté was swiftly followed by ricotta-stuffed ravioli and a Dover sole meunière.
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However, it was the fourth and final course that may have struck a negative note with Charles, who is also notoriously against producing any kind of waste at the dinner table.
Ahead of the 2026 state dinner, a former royal chef gave Fox News Digital the lowdown on what the King would have loved to see on silver platters - and what he wouldn’t be too pleased about.
“If there’s a cheese course, the King will adore that, as he loves cheese. He also loves honey, grilled vegetables, risottos and especially lamb. There’s incredible lamb here. He would be honoured if there was lamb,” claimed Darren McGrady.
The culinary expert, who was a personal chef to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, and her sons William, Prince of Wales, and Harry, Duke of Sussex, also said the father-of-two loved to champion local produce.
“It’s seeing goods coming into season, like asparagus, artichokes, peas, spinach and broccoli. The King would absolutely be thrilled if any of those were on the menu.”
Alas, almost none of the items that McGrady mentioned featured on Melania’s menu.
Instead, something the royal allegedly holds in disfavour made an appearance.
According to The Office of the First Lady, a beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau with smooth vanilla bean crémeux custard was served as the post-feast event.
The decadent dessert was set with a feather-light almond joconde and served with crème fraîche ice cream.
Honey from the White House beehives was also used in the sweet treat.
However, according to McGrady, King Charles does not exactly have a penchant for chocolate.
He claimed that the palace would have been in touch with the White House chefs ahead of time to inform them that the British ruler was ‘not a great lover of chocolate’.
Despite the apparent blunder, McGrady predicted that Camilla would have been happy with the chocolate gâteau.
“The Queen loves chocolate. Anything with chocolate on the menu, Camilla will love,” he informed the publication.
Prior to the state dinner, Charles, Camilla, and around 650 other guests were served 2,500 to 3,000 sandwiches at the British Embassy in Washington.
Head chef Craig Harnden claimed he ‘bent the rules’ by providing the party with roast beef and horseradish sandwiches.
“We’re doing a roast beef and horseradish sandwich and not normally traditionally involved in the afternoon tea flavours,” he said.
“However, we do have the first imports of British beef, which I am more than happy to use for this special occasion.”
These were served alongside traditional afternoon tea flavours, such as cucumber, egg mayonnaise, and Scottish smoked salmon, as well as scones.