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| Stars join the King for Italian-themed dinner | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| David and Victoria Beckham were among the event's high-profile guests | |
| King Charles and Queen Camilla are hosting an Italian-themed dinner with dishes including crab, ravioli and pork, along with English and Italian wine. | |
| Friday's dinner, with guests including David and Victoria Beckham, Dame Helen Mirren and Donatella Versace, is a culinary warm-up for the royal couple's state visit to Italy and the Vatican in early April, where they will meet Pope Francis. | Friday's dinner, with guests including David and Victoria Beckham, Dame Helen Mirren and Donatella Versace, is a culinary warm-up for the royal couple's state visit to Italy and the Vatican in early April, where they will meet Pope Francis. |
| The trip is expected to coincide with Charles and Camilla's 20th wedding anniversary and the King told dinner guests about his love of Italian food and culture. | The trip is expected to coincide with Charles and Camilla's 20th wedding anniversary and the King told dinner guests about his love of Italian food and culture. |
| "Good food brings people together and what we choose to eat helps to define us - as families, communities and nations," said the King. | "Good food brings people together and what we choose to eat helps to define us - as families, communities and nations," said the King. |
| The UK-Italy dinner, hosted by the King and Queen at their Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, and with the Italian ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, is a celebration of "slow food", which uses fresh local food and traditional cooking methods. | The UK-Italy dinner, hosted by the King and Queen at their Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, and with the Italian ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, is a celebration of "slow food", which uses fresh local food and traditional cooking methods. |
| The King hailed this "most splendid evening which brings together two things very dear to my heart - slow food and Italy". | The King hailed this "most splendid evening which brings together two things very dear to my heart - slow food and Italy". |
| "A nation's food culture is a priceless social and environmental asset, intimately bound up with its sense of identity and place," said the King. | "A nation's food culture is a priceless social and environmental asset, intimately bound up with its sense of identity and place," said the King. |
| Also present was Dame Helen Mirren, no stranger to playing royal roles | Also present was Dame Helen Mirren, no stranger to playing royal roles |
| An enthusiast for art, culture and religion, he spoke of his enthusiasm for the state visit, which will be his 18th official visit to the country. | An enthusiast for art, culture and religion, he spoke of his enthusiasm for the state visit, which will be his 18th official visit to the country. |
| "To say that we are looking forward to it would be to engage in a little British understatement," he joked to diners, including Stanley Tucci, who inspired the choice of food. | "To say that we are looking forward to it would be to engage in a little British understatement," he joked to diners, including Stanley Tucci, who inspired the choice of food. |
| The reception and dinner menu, cooked by Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei, features Italian recipes with British ingredients. It was accompanied by English sparkling wine and Italian red and white wines. | The reception and dinner menu, cooked by Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei, features Italian recipes with British ingredients. It was accompanied by English sparkling wine and Italian red and white wines. |
| Stanley Tucci watches on as the King pours a drink with mixologist Alessandro Palazzi | |
| Reception: | Reception: |
| Rare and pasture salumi | Rare and pasture salumi |
| Tuscan-style paté and coppa | Tuscan-style paté and coppa |
| Yorkshire pecorino cheese puffs | Yorkshire pecorino cheese puffs |
| British vegetables caponata tartelletta | British vegetables caponata tartelletta |
| with Highgrove sparkling wine | with Highgrove sparkling wine |
| Dinner: | Dinner: |
| Scottish crab panzanella | Scottish crab panzanella |
| Westcombe ricotta and Highgrove fine herbs ravioli | Westcombe ricotta and Highgrove fine herbs ravioli |
| Isle of Wight tomato passata | Isle of Wight tomato passata |
| Suffolk Red porchetta | Suffolk Red porchetta |
| Pumpkin and sage mash, Tuscan kale | Pumpkin and sage mash, Tuscan kale |
| with white wine Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca Black label 2023 and red wine Barbaresco Gaja 2021 | with white wine Gavi dei Gavi La Scolca Black label 2023 and red wine Barbaresco Gaja 2021 |
| Zuppa Inglese and biscotti | Zuppa Inglese and biscotti |
| with a red dessert wine, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Zenato | with a red dessert wine, Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Zenato |
| Fashion designer Donatella Versace pictured at the Italian-inspired evening at Highgrove | |
| King Charles said of the combined culinary efforts of chef Mazzei and Tucci: "I can only hope they are still talking to each other at the end of it all!" | King Charles said of the combined culinary efforts of chef Mazzei and Tucci: "I can only hope they are still talking to each other at the end of it all!" |
| Cocktails were made by "mixologist" Alessandro Palazzi, using herbs from the gardens at Highgrove. | Cocktails were made by "mixologist" Alessandro Palazzi, using herbs from the gardens at Highgrove. |
| There was a toast made by the King in Italian, "alla eterna cultura italiana del buon cibo," meaning "to Italy's timeless food culture". | There was a toast made by the King in Italian, "alla eterna cultura italiana del buon cibo," meaning "to Italy's timeless food culture". |
| This dinner comes ahead of the state visit in early April, confirmed on Thursday by Buckingham Palace. | This dinner comes ahead of the state visit in early April, confirmed on Thursday by Buckingham Palace. |
| There will be engagements in Rome and Ravenna, with the King and Queen set to hold meetings with Pope Francis and Italian political leaders. | There will be engagements in Rome and Ravenna, with the King and Queen set to hold meetings with Pope Francis and Italian political leaders. |
| Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis straight to your inbox every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here. | Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis straight to your inbox every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here. |