King hosts Qatari ruler at state banquet - with David Beckham sat next to Kemi Badenoch

3 December 2024, 20:04 | Updated: 3 December 2024, 23:24

The King has paid tribute to the "profound, personal and historic" ties between our "two great nations" as he hosted the Emir of Qatar at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The British monarch was joined by the Queen who had not been taking part in the outdoor elements of the two-day state visit as she recovered from pneumonia.

Prince William attended the banquet without Kate, who has only partially returned to public duties after she began treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer in February.

Outside of the Royal Family, David and Victoria Beckham were among the 170 guests at the banquet in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace.

Mr Beckham was seen sitting next to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch inside the banquet hall.

The Emir was joined by the first of his three wives - Sheikha Jawaher.

The King began with a speech where he told the Emir it gave him the "greatest possible pleasure" to welcome him to the palace.

He continued: "In many ways, this evening might be seen as a homecoming, Your Highness is no stranger to these shores, having spent so much of your younger years at three of our most renowned institutions: Sherborne, Harrow and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Your many visits since then have served as a testament to the close personal ties that bind our nations and our families."

In an apparent reference to Qatar's mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas during the war in Gaza, the King also told the Emir: "I would particularly like to express the United Kingdom's deepest gratitude for your tireless mediation efforts over the past year in pursuit of peace, against the most unbearable heartache and suffering.

"In these most desperate of circumstances, Qatar's continued toil, perseverance and diplomatic efforts are, quite simply, invaluable."

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Mr Beckham, a former England football captain, was invited to the banquet because of his close relationship with Qatar after acting as a paid ambassador for the country when it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

It netted him a reported £10m but he faced fierce criticism over the connection because of Qatar's criminalisation of same-sex relationships.

As is the custom for couples at state banquets, the Beckhams sat apart, on opposite sides of the table.

Mrs Beckham, a former Spice Girl and fashion designer, sat between Labour peer Lord Levy and surgeon and former health minister Lord Darzi of Denham.

The guests, which included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, dined on a menu that began with a light tartlet of Cornish lobster with quail eggs and organic salad leaves.

It was followed by supreme of Windsor pheasant wrapped in savoy cabbage, with roasted celeriac puree, with gratinated potatoes with a soft creamy cheese from Suffolk, truffle sauce and a selection of winter vegetables.

Dessert was an iced bombe with organic Samoan vanilla ice cream and Balmoral Plum Sorbet.

Guests were also treated to a special mocktail after dinner called the Royal Mirage - made of smoked pomegranate and ginger with black lime garnish.

The non-alcoholic tipple reflected the colour of the Qatari flag and observed the fact that the Emir and his party do not drink alcohol.

During the King's reign, a new mocktail is created for each state banquet.

Music was played by the Hiraeth String Quartet and the King's Harpist Mared Pugh-Evans, with tunes including Moondance by Van Morrison and excerpts from the film La La Land.

Meanwhile, seasonal flowers celebrating the red and white hue of the Qatari flag and the festive time of year were on show in ballroom.

Dramatic vivid red amaryllis served as a focal point, standing tall in silver-gilt centrepieces taken from the Grand Service, with bright scarlet winterberries, hydrangeas, red nerines and black tulips among the foliage, collected from Windsor Home Park and the Orchard Garden at the glasshouses in Windsor.

After the banquet, the flowers will be donated to the charity Floral Angels, of which Camilla is patron, and delivered to hospices, elderly care homes and shelters.

Earlier, the King and Queen surveyed the scene, checking personally on the vast, elaborately decorated horseshoe-shaped table.

(c) Sky News 2024: King hosts Qatari ruler at state banquet - with David Beckham sat next to Kemi Badenoch