Queen Elizabeth exhibition approval

2 months ago 25th Jul 14:00

Britain's Queen Elizabeth has given her seal of approval to an exhibition which recreates a Buckingham Palace state banquet.

State banquets are usually reserved for presidents, royalty and dignitaries, but the display will allow everyday people to experience the prestigious event.

The ballroom at Buckingham Palace has been decorated as it would be for the banquet, including a large dining table laid with rare cutlery, glasses and table decorations.

Kathryn Jones who works at the Royal Collection, which is curator of the event, said: "In this room we wanted to give the impression of what it might be like to attend a state banquet.

In this room we wanted to give the impression of what it might be like to attend a state banquet.

"Only a tiny minority of the population will have been invited to one so giving everyone else the chance to experience the event was one of the ideas behind doing the exhibition."

The queen was accompanied around the exhibition by director of the Royal Collection Sir Hugh Roberts and spent time examining the display which is running alongside it.

Among the items on display are the Shield of Achilles - a large dish from the 1821 coronation banquet of George IV - and the altar dish used at the coronation of Charles II in 1661.

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