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Windsor Castle, A Royal Year - Ep 1 - The Banquet
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Jul 4, 2025
Royal reality in a landmark series produced for the BBC. For the first time ever, cameras go behind the scenes at Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and home to Queen Elizabeth since childhood. The result is an intimate glimpse of castle life above and below stairs over the course of a year that includes a historic state banquet and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles. Meet some of the 300 people who live and work in the castle's 900 rooms: the Queen's housekeeper, grooms, fendersmiths, and military knights, to name just a few. Accompany HRH Prince Philip, the ranger of Windsor's 15,000-acre Great Park, as he tours the grounds and speaks candidly about the ups and downs of running this amazing public space. Bonus Footage! Includes over two hours not seen on the PBS broadcast, including exclusive new footage of the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The 300 people involved in preparing for royal events include the queen's housekeeper, military knights and flag men.
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0:00
Over the course of a whole year, we have been given exclusive access to the hidden world behind the scenes of Windsor Castle, the Queen's favourite home
0:12
A world of royal ceremony, of pomp, history and tradition. But also of fun, excitement and colour
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We meet some of the 300 staff who work and live here
0:27
serving the monarch, keeping her state apartments clean, tending the fireplaces, grooming the horses
0:34
exploring its darkest corners, and preparing the sumptuous banquets. And we meet the member of the royal family
0:44
who for over 50 years has been ranger of the great park
0:48
The castle has stood for 1,000 years, but this is the first time it's thrown its most private doors open to the world
1:05
A million people from all over the world visit the Queen's Castle every year
1:10
The man in charge of keeping both the visitors and the residents happy
1:15
is the castle superintendent, Major Alan Denman, ex-Welsh Guards. I lived in a lot of houses in the army and I've always named my house
1:25
after my favourite football ground, Anfield. But obviously when we came to Windsor Castle
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I couldn't very well put that outside the house, so it sits in there and we now obviously live in Garter House
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I'd like to start off today with a good walk around the castle and just make sure everything's all right
1:45
picking up any problems and putting it right. One year into his new job, at a castle nearly 1,000 years old
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Major Denman is still something of a new boy. Some of my staff have been here 30-odd years
1:59
and a year is nothing. And 100 years in the life of the castle is nothing
2:05
So, yeah, you really feel a sense of time and occasion. But the superintendents already mastered Windsor's canine pecking order
2:13
The governor also has a black Labrador. And I have a black Labrador
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One of the wardens once said to me, I told all the new wardens that anyone of importance in the castle has a black Labrador
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Of course, my response to that was, no, anyone of importance in this place has a corgi
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Some people spend their entire working life at the castle. Annette Wilkins started here in 1974
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She's now the Queen's housekeeper. I think, first and foremost, it's a home, and whose home it is
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that's most important to all of us. The Queen, the Sovereign. And we're responsible for the whole of the castle, within the castle
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State apartments, private suites, guest suites, some offices and staff areas. Directly above the housekeeper's corridor is the Grand Corridor
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It runs along the private wing in a corner of the 13-acre castle
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Here lie the private quarters of the Queen and her family. At present, we're preparing for the Queen coming back on Friday
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Furniture is in the centre because we're putting traffic wax on the floorboards
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The Queen will come back here for most weekends of the year, wherever her travels have taken her
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I will have a team on the corridor Friday morning to mop the floor and do top dusting
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I will have the same team on Saturday morning, Sunday morning and Monday morning
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6.15 in the morning, quietly. It's a bit like looking after your own home
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but on this massive, massive scale. We have a very good... What word shall I... Boss
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Yes. Who would see everything. Nothing gets missed. Faith Tarbys in her second year as a housemaid at Windsor Castle
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I was brought up in a very traditional British home in South Africa
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And Her Majesty was always at our dinner table. We had her portrait hanging on the wall
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And my mom was a great lover of the royal family and Her Majesty
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and from a tiny little girl, I dream about serving the Queen one day, and here I am
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Through more than 40 reigns, Windsor Castle has been remodelled and extended many times
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but no monarch, no war, has had as much impact as a single light bulb one morning in 1992
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A builder's lamp placed too close to a curtain sparked an inferno
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which swept through the grandest sections of the castle. It took 16 hours to quell the flames
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Apart from the Queen, no one knows Windsor better than Prince Philip
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He's lived here for more than 50 years. It was he who took overall charge of the Great Restoration
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The family keep a charred souvenir in pride of place. I thought it was all fun
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A reminder of the... Because it finished, it stopped here at the end of this room, the fire
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That's new and that's old. And it came to about here. The whole place had to be redecorated anyway
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At the time of the fire, these rooms had been stripped for maintenance work
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The point was that, of course, there was nothing in here at the time of the fire
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The whole of the, all the furniture was out, all the pictures and curtains and carpets and everything was out
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So we were able to put it all back again. The disaster is commemorated in the family's private chapel
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It was entirely rebuilt with a new stained glass window designed by the prince himself
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Well, the idea was that the bottom had been far and would, in a sense
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and show the firefighters, and then the idea was that the smoke would turn into trees
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and then show the castle in a sense of re-emerging in the sunlight
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And that... St Michael was there, but he'd lost his arms. He'd leave him the way he was
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but he looked a little uncomfortable out in the arms. Windsor was reborn, more stately than before
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With its treasures back in place, the castle is once again both a home and a seat of state
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If Windsor is home, Buckingham Palace is the royal office. Here, the royal household team have just started planning
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the grandest royal occasion of the year, a special banquet for the French president Jacques Chirac
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Thank you. That's right. Bye. The evening is to celebrate 100 years of the Entente Cordiale
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the enduring bond of friendship between Britain and France It to be held in November at Windsor This is the guest list which has been approved by everyone the Master and the Queen and the Private Secretaries
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This one is for the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his wife
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He's one of our regulars. I probably let them dry for longer so I don't smudge them
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And I pile them up unsealed, and then we have someone else check them all. And they have to be checked twice before they can go out
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This is no ordinary state banquet. The Queen has approved a revolutionary plan
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Les Miserables, the West End musical, will be performed at the castle
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The master of the household, Vice Admiral Sir Tom Blackburn, is responsible for all royal hospitality
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He is pondering one of the trickiest aspects of the banquet, the seating plan
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the table is set out for the expected number of guests for the dinner that the queen is giving
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for president chirac in windsor at about 140 and that's how this table is is set out and what i'm
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trying to do now is to make sure that the the seating provides the best possible mix for the
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140 guests that are there. And it's a matter of trial and error
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And to help us, we colour-code the different sort of people, categories of people
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So you perhaps see here that the ones that are clearly marked in blue
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are the official French suite. When the Queen came to the throne
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all state banquets were held at Buckingham Palace. But then a certain prince resurrected an Edwardian idea
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might guests not prefer to dine at Windsor Castle? I initiated that idea
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There was absolute hell to pay. It was just, ye gods, how are we going to organise it
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What are we going to do about the Household Cavalry? Where's the Guard of Honour going to be
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Where's the procession going to go? It's so easy. If you do the same thing every time
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you know precisely what's going to happen at Buckingham Palace, but if you suddenly move it somewhere else
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you've got to rethink everything. I mean, I think everybody enjoyed it, but it was a sort of e-guards
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Well, now what? These days, the Windsor staff are old hands at state occasions
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They start planning six months in advance. Every branch of the royal household will be involved
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No banquet can take place without the footmen and under butlers who will greet and serve the guests
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They're known as G, or General Branch. Some will be drawn from other duties in London
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Some will have come out of retirement. The castle fendersmiths usually maintain all Windsor's fireplaces
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but for the upcoming visit, they will also work as liveried footmen
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Well, the livery, as we call it, is a black tailcoat, as you can see
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a waistcoat and black tie, really, and that's what our livery is made up of
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And black shoes and dark socks. We're trying to tend away from white socks
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Not a good combination. The food team are known as F Branch
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In charge are Andrew Farkerson and Mark Flanagan. They've just had the banquet menu approved by the Queen
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They're confident that it will impress even the French. This is the menu the Queen has sent back to us
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which is the first time that Mark's seen it. The first course, the fillet de sole Granduc
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Well, that's just going to be the Pope's fillets de sole with the crayfish served separately
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Tourneur de boeufs au champignon sauvage, which is a small piece of beef with wild mushrooms and foie gras on top
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Pudding, again, the queen indicated a preference. Mark had suggested a prune tart with arminiac
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or creme brûlée with a compot of oranges. and the Queen decided that she'd just like the creme brulee as it is
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It's a good balance. I'd like to be sitting down. So would I
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Annette Wilkins' housekeeping platoon are known as H-Branch. Their skills go far beyond cleaning
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Whenever the Queen has anyone to stay, the guests can expect service seldom found anywhere else
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What's happened, the lady has arrived and her case has been left by the footman
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and what's going to happen now is my team, my housekeeping assistants, will start unpacking
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In advance of the Chirac's visit, Annette is conducting a refresher course
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in the fine art of unpacking a lady's suitcase using mocked-up luggage
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So I've got a very selection of clothes here. And personal items, which we always take care of
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Faith and Jill, the housekeeping assistants, They're taking notes of what items are in the case
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what items are in the hanging bags, because then everything is put back when we repack
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and it's not confusing for the guest. Everything's unpacked, and if they're plastic hangers
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they're put on covered hangers. We change them. Why do you guys do this and not need the guest to do it themselves
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No, they are a guest. They are a guest here. Because they're a guest of the Queen. Yes
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And that's what we do. This is the make-up. Ladies' jewellery. Got a gold necklace
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And a string of pearls. And a string of pearls. Thank you. So the guest has now gone for breakfast
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and she's due to leave straight after breakfast. So the timings are three-quarters of an hour to repack
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which Faith is going to do starting from now. The tissue paper protects the clothes
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and also holds them in place once the suitcase is packed. And it does work with the tissue paper and the way we layer it
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Looks tidy, looks neat. Three-quarters of an hour. We've already been, I would say, 15 minutes
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so we need to speed up a little. Now we close up the passage
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Fine, that's it Shut up A housekeeping assistant has to see the guest
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to run a bath we lay the bath towel out, the bath mat
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everything is done to make them as comfortable so when they leave us
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they say what a wonderful, wonderful place and how well they were looked after
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At least we hope. The craftsmen of Seabranch will be responsible for all the antique chairs
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sofas and tables required for a state occasion. But for now they have smaller, though equally important, pieces to look after
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What we've got here is furniture from the Duke's study. This little sofa table the wood is calamander which is part of the ebony family And this is in the Duke study under his library under his bookcase
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They're here most weekends, and we tend to go up during the week
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prior to them coming back on a Friday to make sure everything is as it should be
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Because, as you can appreciate, it's a home as well as a castle
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That's perfect. OK, let's go for that. Another head of department is also preparing for the presidential visit
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Lady Roberts, the royal librarian, is curator of Windsor's priceless collection of manuscripts and drawings
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She's assembling a special entang cordial exhibition. The Queen has asked us to put out some things
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which will be of relevance to France, in the Crimson Drawing Room
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where it will be seen by the Queen and the President and also by the other guests on that evening
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What I have to judge is how much we're trying to stress the relaxed nature of the visit
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and how much we're trying to stress the more formal nature of it
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This is one that I think we definitely want. Louis-Philippe being led by Queen Victoria
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into St George's Hall with this magnificent display of gold and silver plates
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I think we want these ones swapping round. The team must pick a handful of pieces
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from the library's 300,000 books, drawings and prints. The material that we gather together for these displays
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is nearly all kept, stored and accessible to visiting scholars and researchers
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here at Windsor. It's always an interesting challenge to provide a display for visiting foreign leaders
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There are certainly some countries where we would find it quite difficult
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to give such deep and rich historical coverage, but we've always got something
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There are now just two days until the Entente Cordiale celebrations at Windsor
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The transformation of the castle is well underway With the public cleared from St George's Hall
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the craftsman of Seabranch can now prepare the most important feature of any banquet
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the Grand Table Well, we use a reviver, usually vinegar and water
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to take all the dust off the table without scratching the surface and generally just put a bit of a shine back into it
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We measure it at every stage, but at the end of the day
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you've just got to look down the edge to make sure it's straight. Eddie Mills gives the 150-year-old table its final polish
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scrupulously going over every last month. After 27 years, General Branch's Steve Marshall is a veteran of banquets at all the royal homes
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Our base is Buckingham Palace, and then we travel around from there. But we'll be here for Ascot Week
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The whole show, you know, we just travel up and down. His expert eye can soon tell if there's enough table for 136 guests
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Not far away. That's at 18 inches between each thing. I can go bigger if you want, Steve
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You want to put a little... You've got half leaves, yeah? Yeah, only two. You want to put two half leaves in it? One age
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OK, yeah. That should be. I've got the middle right. This is a state occasion, not a private one
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so the costs will be met from the civil list, the funds the Queen receives to cover her duties as head of state
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For all Windsor's long experience of state occasions
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it's never had to squeeze a West End production in two. Les Miserables does not travel light, and that could be a problem
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Four tonnes of stage equipment are being piled into the Waterloo Chamber
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Except that's not what it's called anymore. For one night only, it has been diplomatically renamed the Music Mall
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Production manager Gerry Donaldson is transforming this grandest of staterooms into a theatre, carefully
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Lighting and sound are going to be hanging off this truss, which hangs from the ceiling, from the chandelier points in the ceiling
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Then tomorrow the stage comes in, sits underneath it, and then we've got a backdrop to hang up as well
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The Waterloo Chamber is not just losing its name for a night
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Also going are some of the generals who helped Wellington defeat the French in 1815
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It is for their own safety, though, rather than for any diplomacy, that these old soldiers must come down from their noble perches
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Yeah, handling big canvases like this, and when you're taking them over balconies, it's always worrying
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We're seeing some lawrences coming down. They're considered too vulnerable in the position where they are to leave them there
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and we thought about covering them up. but it seems easier, though it doesn't look easier
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to actually take them completely away. One, two, three, up. Enormous care must be taken
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when dropping national heroes over 20-foot balconies. While some pictures go down, others go up
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In the Crimson Drawing Room, Lady Roberts' new exhibition for tomorrow's guests is going into place
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It must be perfect from every angle. Because we're putting the display up in this wonderful room
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where there are mirrors behind the display, the back of the display has to look at least respectable
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And this is double-sided sticky tape, which Rini and I are preparing
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And it's a team effort, this, because you have to get the tension right
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We don't normally do this sort of work kneeling on the floor of the Crimson Drawing Room, however
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Hello, Castle Superintendent, can I help you? For Major Alan Denman
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this is the greatest challenge he's faced since arriving at Windsor. People have got to be fed, gentleman ushers to come in
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young man the guard, staircase party, duty electrician to sort out, make sure he's on duty
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So, you know, a lot happening. For now, the 17th century Queen's drawing room must dabble up as a warehouse
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These are the Lawrences, which have been taken down. You can see who we've got here. I can never remember the names
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Well, there's Pope Pius, which is obviously the most famous one. And, of course, the thing we haven't got here, it sounds crazy
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a massive castle, you know, his room. Seen Rod Stewart haven you Amazing amazing when you think about it
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Can you pass the salt, please? Major Denman's prime concern, however, is what the theatre crew are getting up to
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I knew it was going to be big, but didn't realise it was going to be this big. How many people will actually be still on that stage with the orchestra
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25-piece orchestra, and I think 41 in the cast. Quite a few
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Anyone have a note? Michael Ball? Yeah. Must have heard of him
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No. OK. Lots of ex-cast members of Les Mis, but famous ones
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No, I have heard of Michael Ball, I'm only joking. But there's one subject at Windsor which nobody jokes about
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So we've got extinguishers in the back. Yeah. We've got a group of extinguishers in the front ground vegetable soil
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We've got both foam and CO2, so we're covering all the risks
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The 1992 fire was started by a spotlight, and Gerry's got 150 of them
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So I think because of the fire, they obviously get a little bit twitchy here about what we're doing
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because I think it was a little bit bigger than the health and safety guy who I spoke to earlier on was expecting
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But it's reassuring them that we actually do know what we're doing, do you know what I mean? So I can understand it's quite a big sort of lump of steel we're hanging in there
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Very nice hall here, do you know what I mean? So, yeah, but it does look quite overpowering, doesn't it
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It's quite big. For Mark Flanagan and his team, the countdown has started in the kitchen
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Having the food-loving French to dinner adds extra pressure. But the Queen's chef has chosen impeccably British ingredients
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OK, well, this is the beef fillet for tomorrow's menu. It's Scottish Aberdeen
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We went up and saw them earlier on in the year. And so they've very kindly trimmed it all up for us
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so all I need to now do is cut it into the portion size
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Now master of all the Queen's kitchens, Mark's career has taken him far, but not that far
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He began just down the road. I started off at college in Slough
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I was under 18, so the course cost me 50 pence to do
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He's worked in some of Britain's best-known restaurants, but there is no room for celebrity chef egos here
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It's not about what the chef wants to cook, and it's, you know, it's not cooked per se
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to the way the chef would like to cook it. It's cooked for Her Majesty. We're offering a personal service
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British beef it may be, but the wines will be French, as is the man in charge of them, Robert Large
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the yeoman of the sellers. We have the champagne for the toast
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which is going to be Paul Roger. Then we follow with the Chassin-Morachet-les-Mazures
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which is going to be for the first course. Chassin-Morachet is the king of the Burgundy region
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The second course, anything with beef, we choose in the Chateau Léauville-Poix-Ferré, 1990
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A very good Krug 1982 for the pudding, which is a magnum this time
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We tried to actually get more Krug 82 just in case, and it wasn't possible to get any in the country, OK
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so that's how rare they are at the end of a long day the drama has already begun in the
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waterloo chamber the set is wrong a little bit of a little bit of a disaster earlier on but
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we unfolded the back cloth for the first time and went to hang it up it's been specially printed
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however they've managed to print it the wrong way around the logos should be in the center and the
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paintings should be on the outside. So, a bit of a major
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sweat on when I found that out, but I've managed to get another one
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tomorrow, but I have to send somebody up to Manchester to pick it up as soon as they finish
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rehearsal. We'll get this one down, get the new one up, get it all stretched and looking lovely
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So, it's going well, apart from that. It's 12 hours before the banquet
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and in the kitchens the royal chefs are hard at work on tonight's vegetables
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one by one. Everything must be perfect long before the guests appear
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The Queen returns from Buckingham Palace this afternoon. At 5pm, her meticulous pre-banquet inspection will begin
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We're using the green drawing room this evening for pre-dinner drinks, also the crimson drawing room
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which I need now to just move a little bit more furniture to make some space
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as there is 136 guests. We need plenty of room in the room, so I'll move this sofa
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And then there's plenty of room also, so they can see the display which Royal Collection has put out
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in connection with the French visit. and it just gives them a bit more room, makes it a little bit more spacious
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We're used to doing these now and hopefully it should run like clockwork, which it normally does
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I just hope everybody turns up on time and everybody's got a drink
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and if they've all got a drink and they're having dinner and they're all happy, then I'm happy. Nowhere are preparations more scrupulous than in the private quarters
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where the most important guests will stay. Even the soap will have been personally approved by the Queen
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For President Chirac and his wife, it will be the principal guest apartment
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known simply as Suite 240. Kings, queens, statesmen, including Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela, have slept here
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The occupants will have two dressing rooms, separate bathrooms for President and Madame Chirac
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In addition to a large sitting room, a footman and a lady's maid
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and a bedroom with one of Britain's finest views, the long walk
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Orderly chaos has ensued in the chamber formerly known as Waterloo. The Queen will be particularly interested to see what has happened to one of her favourite state rooms
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but the show's producers, led by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, have only just arrived for rehearsals. rehearsals
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Everybody's turned up now, so everybody's got an opinion about it, you know
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We're a bit late, bit of a gang schedule. Orchestra didn't turn up. We're supposed to be sitting in the orchestra now, so they're a bit late
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Gerry has a scrap of good news. Havana has left Manchester with the cloth
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It left about quarter past eleven. It's now half past, so it should be here about half past three, hopefully, just when they
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finish rehearsal, so we can get that hung. That's my major worry. And just generally make the place look lovely
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It's midday, and the press have a to interview the stars. Sir Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to be staging
30:04
a revolutionary French musical in this royal setting. Perhaps I did immediately think of the irony of the evening
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that this show, of all shows, would be taking place in this particular hall
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under the eyes of Wellington. Who was it that chose Les Mis
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as the most suitable musical to present... I suppose in the spirit of the Entente Cordiale
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it's going to offend everybody. What I just want to do is just go through them, what we're going to do at the end, the groups, where they're going to stand, how many..
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Major Denman is keen to lay down the running order. That's the one thing we want to talk about. The Queen walks in
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Queen walks in, Queen sits down, show starts. Show starts, OK. All right. So we just need a signal as to when to place our cast on stage
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Right, OK. Well, yeah, you saw that. Yeah, so we'll talk about that in a minute. Yeah
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We're seeking solutions, constantly seeking solutions, which we always find. OK, guys, do you want to come and join us
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We'll give you any other questions. It should be good to help yourselves out. Thanks. Tonight this cast will be performing twice. They must complete their usual
31:05
Western show before speeding back to the castle. It's going to be a demanding night
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There's something I'm thinking of, there's something I'm thinking of There's something I'm thinking of
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There's something we have to play At the end of the day
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2pm. The Queen is now on her way
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Tony Martin is the castle flagman. It's his job to raise the royal standard the moment the Queen is inside the ramparts
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He prepares to make his silent fanfare. I'm just getting the state visit flag ready for Manchester coming in
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It's approximately half past two. And this will stay up until the state visit's finished
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One of the largest flags. It's 24 feet by 12. Very large flag
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Tony checks the Queen's progress with the police at the castle gates
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Well, it's not changed again, has it? I was told I had to. I was told by my boss that the Queen was coming approximately half past two
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But now I've just phoned up and they've informed me that it's quarter past three now
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So we just have to wait up until she arrives. Say it's going down and then coming back up again
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The grand table is nearly ready for inspection by the Queen. and all 952 pieces of cutlery and 816 glasses will be washed up by dawn
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Glasses, toasting glass with champagne, white wine with the first course, red wine with the beef
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champagne with a sweet, port. I'm simply measuring up using a rule of thumb
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so the knives and the fork and all the cutlery and the plates, exactly the same edge away from the table
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This evening I'll be a footman and I'll be remaining in the room with the guests
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and I'll be doing various services from putting the hot plates in front of the guests
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serving vegetables, doing the sauces. The essence is that guests really would never have to ask
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for anything at the table, so a crewet is always within reach without having to stretch across anybody
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And each individual guest will get a little dish with their own butter
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so that, again, nobody has to trouble anybody else in feeling them
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So they're embarrassed to ask for the butter because it's halfway across the table
34:35
From the top of the round tower, there's still no sign of the Queen
34:46
It's nearly a gale for us coming up, and it's starting to rain
34:51
It's not too bad for a global rain. Here we go. Defendersmiths have just a few minutes left
34:59
to line up all 136 chairs before the Queen begins her pre-banquet rounds
35:05
We have the official length of stick from back of chair to the table
35:13
which I believe is about 27 inches. That gives just enough area for people to..
35:20
Once we've put the chairs together, it gives people to come in and put the champagne in
35:25
and things like that, just the walking, and the guests enough room to stand in front
35:29
when they're ready for their dinner. So, this is... Actually, this is his
35:37
We're hoping to get this in the Olympics in London, the stick and chair
35:43
We reckon it'll be a winner. Myself and Mr Turner might be just too old, but I'm sure we can train up two whippersnappers to do stick and chair
35:55
It's not that bad. What do you think? You tell me and I'll walk on
35:59
Yeah, go on then, if you go down. Just where you are now. Walk in
36:05
One towards me. One this way. Just tap it in slightly. That ain't that bad, to be honest
36:14
Yeah that good Neil How do you up there Two minutes OK mate
36:23
Two minutes. Action stations
36:36
Across Windsor, the message goes out. The boss is back. Oh, for Korean culture
37:07
In the nick of time, the new Les Miserables backdrop has arrived
37:11
I'm just pleased it's here, that's all I can say. It's always all right in the end
37:17
Always all right in the end. In the cellars, it's time to draw the corks on the Chateau Léauville Coifféret
37:28
On the banquet itself, myself, I will be looking after the service number nine
37:34
which is the service of the Majesty and President Chirac. I will be quite pleased to actually speak French to President Chirac
37:40
because I hardly speak French here. I'm 100% sure that Mr Chirac would be very happy with the selection of wine, indeed
37:50
State occasions can be a little nerve-wracking. Castle guests might require a little extra fortification in their rooms
37:58
OK, we've got the dry sherry here, which is La Hina sherry. And we've got some whiskey, famous Grouse whiskey
38:06
which is the favourite whiskey for the Duke of Edinburgh. and we got golden jean
38:14
So these three decanters are going to go into the suite of President Chirac
38:20
Some people may say it's a mini bar for us, we call it a suite. Six months of planning, diplomacy and hard work are coming to a climax
38:32
Now is the moment when everyone will know if they've got it right. No one has attended more royal banquets than the Queen
38:39
Her say is final
39:09
The impression now turns to the set of Les Miserables. She's keen to ensure that everyone can see properly
39:15
It's quite... That's OK for the house. You can see over the orchestra, can we? Yes. Why
39:25
Because the orchestra is right at the back now. So the orchestra are playing behind..
39:29
Behind the... Behind the... Behind the signals. Even after all these years, Her Majesty is still impressed
39:37
You know, when people come in, it's quite something, isn't it? It is now. The Queen even makes plans for the flowers
39:44
which, by tradition, go to local charities. There's an old people's home here in Windsor
39:49
old warden's lodge, where one of Queen Elizabeth's old maids, Barbara Brown
39:54
Oh, really? Yeah, sure. We thought we'd try that. Mm-hm. And there is the Thames, fairly hostages
40:03
Yes. They're not too big for them. Yes, actually, I was just dreaming it was interesting because I asked the sister that she had the suggestion
40:12
She said, what's this? Yeah. Now that the Queen has approved the arrangements, all departments get their final briefings
40:22
We just want to have a quick run through and make sure that everybody knows the dishes and the procedure that we're going to follow
40:29
This is going to turn into a conveyor belt, for the want of a better term
40:36
This is a small idea of what it's going to be. You've got to imagine that this is only one side of the oval
40:45
This is the finished dish, half of the finished dish. And we'll have the same procedure again
40:52
Percentage of it pre-built, entrees, ready to come to this line-up. Don't forget, we have about a minute, a minute and a half for each flat, and we have to push
41:04
Okay? Okay, thank you very much. It's a three course meal, which is slightly different from what we have a banquet
41:14
It's a fish course, a main course, a suite. The red light, that means once you've got the plates and your food
41:23
if you can all stand behind your service point where you're serving in a line
41:29
And then once I'm happy, then I will switch to the green light, where then everybody will serve together
41:40
Thank you very much. The pre-drinks are champagne and soft drinks only, plus the drinks for the members of rural families
41:51
Service number six, Mr. Femmes. Special request, you have Princess Royal who's having freshly squeezed orange juice
42:00
Only freshly squeezed orange juice, nothing else. After the banquet, Mr. Rode and Mr. Ford, the leakyers are done from the garter's room
42:12
Seagulls will be Mr. Clasper and Mr. Smith. Is that all in
42:17
OK, to everyone. OK. Thank you. 7 At last the guests begin to arrive The royal family and the Chiracs will be joined by the Blairs leading French and British politicians and a selection of prominent French expats But all is not well at the Castle Gates
42:44
Revolutionary fervour is stirring outside as well as in. That's the protesters
42:51
It's more like a football match on a state occasion. The presence of the Prime Minister
42:58
several Cabinet Ministers and the world's media has drawn hundreds of pro-hunt supporters to Windsor
43:04
The eggs are flying and some VIPs are being delayed. In the castle kitchens, the Queen's chef, Mark Flanagan
43:17
is unaware of the chaos outside. He's sticking to the agreed timetable
43:21
You're going to need to be here. Sorry, Stuart. Yeah? You need to be here, ready for me, yeah
43:26
We're 15 minutes away from starting our assembly line, and for us, the main event
43:34
That's how close it is now. It's the nervy time now. A further hitch
43:42
A deeply apologetic president has been delayed by 30 minutes. The Duke of Edinburgh reassures the Chiracs that all is well
43:56
In St George's Hall, Steve Marshall puts the final touches to the table
44:06
in his customary footwear, acquired on a plane. They are British Airways socks
44:12
Yeah. Andrew Farkerson must now liaise between the kitchens, the serving staff and the Queen
44:20
It would be wrong if I wasn't a bit nervous. It's just making sure that we can combine the requirements of Mark
44:26
to make it look as wonderful as possible with the requirements of the Queen to have it in front of her
44:31
when she wants it in front of her, basically. So it's a fine line
44:35
And as you know, chefs never want to send their food until the last possible second, because the longer it stays in a hot cupboard
44:40
the less appetising it looks. So Mark's pulling from one end, and we're pulling from the other
44:47
and I'm the guy that's keeping an eye on everything and hoping it's going to work. Outside, the mob haven't managed to storm the gates
44:55
but they are still holding up the traffic. Delays upstairs, no delays downstairs
45:05
News of the evening's hold-ups still hasn't reached the kitchens. Let's go, come on
45:10
Let's go, let's go. More so
45:19
Yes, sir. according to marks precise schedule the guests should now be seated and
45:25
listening to speeches except they aren't they're only just making their way
45:29
through to dinner 8 15 and right on time marks hit his deadline the first course is on its way
45:44
to the banquet unfortunately not everyone is so punctual master just came in and said they were
45:52
running 10 to 15 minutes behind schedule which is slightly unfortunate because mark's got everything
45:57
ready to go on time so um we'll just have to go with it i also understand the president came in
46:02
late so it's just has a sort of knock-on effect we're now sort of slightly you know we've cooked
46:06
and it's ready to go, so one hopes it just doesn't spoil too much. So, 20 minutes late, what a laugh that is
46:14
It does make you feel a little... ..sort of... I don't know. I'm a bit disappointed that the fish is not going to be..
46:26
..as perfect as I wanted it. The croup's going to go a little soggy, but..
46:33
..you know. The guests are finally taking their places. Mrs Blair helps the Prime Minister find his seat
46:49
He's placed between the French Minister of Defence, Michel Alliot-Marie, and the fashion designer, Nicole Fine
46:58
President Chirac sits between the Queen and a professor of French from Nottingham University
47:04
Mr. President, Madame Chirac, I recall with great pleasure my visit to France last April
47:19
and I am pleased to have the opportunity to welcome you both to Wednesday class tonight
47:26
Mark has reworked his timings. The second course will not go the way of the first
47:30
You've got plenty of time. Now slow down and make it perfect
47:36
There's not enough in here. There's not enough in here. I would ask you to rise and drink a toast
47:42
to the President and the people of France. Be not on for now
47:56
John, you need to make sure. No holes in the service, sir
48:00
See, that's gone to sea, though. You can't serve that. The president thanks his hosts
48:23
With the toasts over, it's finally time to eat. the lights are switched to green
48:41
Getting it in as quickly as possible given there's quite delays. It's been there for a little bit
48:46
and it's been ready for a little bit too long maybe. The first course is on the table Andrew is back in the kitchen to oversee the beef The queen prefers her beef to be slightly better cooked
49:03
so we try and make sure that she has one that is, and she's very good at identifying which is normally for her
49:10
and this one is just a little bit of parsley on the top, so that means that she knows exactly which one's for her
49:15
She's very happy for everybody else to have their meat done, perhaps slightly rarer, but she herself prefers it to be well done
49:21
so we do that party. Nice and hot. Keep the door closed, sir
49:34
The main course is served. Even now, every vegetable is still being scrutinised
49:39
Back again. The next one you take is the one you're serving, OK? Where's the other one
49:46
Let's give it to him. He's taking it in. Just fingers crossed
50:21
The guests finish their dinner, quite unaware that a further delay has afflicted the other end of their evening
50:28
One set of revolutionaries has held up another. The cast of Les Miserables, still in costume
50:34
from their first performance of the evening, have been delayed our route from the West End
50:41
Are you happy? At the moment, yeah. Nearly ten minutes later. Yeah, I know
50:44
We'll, as soon as we get everybody in, we'll get them straight up and then get them
50:51
In the state apartments, the evening is progressing seamlessly with the formal presentation of gifts
50:59
The Queen gives the President a silver plate, engraved with the words
51:03
En temps cordial. In return, she receives a sauvre vase and a scarf from Madame Chirac
51:14
As the guests make their way through to the newly christened music room
51:28
everyone agrees that Mark's dinner has been superb. I asked Queen Anne if the cook was French
51:36
She said, no, it really was English. I said, I congratulated her because it was really good
51:40
I mean, you know, I've been living in England now for quite a while, so I can cope with the English cuisine very, very well
51:46
and I think you do have some very, very good cook, and the cook here was excellent
51:50
Sir Cameron McIntosh's guest, will you follow me, please? Michael Ball undergoes last-minute adjustments to his make-up
52:04
Cook as we can, please, folks. Thank you. Cook as we can. OK, thanks very much, ladies and gents. Here we go. Thank you
52:39
Yeah, this is what five six months worth of planning at least going into this
53:03
It's nice to see you. I don't have any children other than my boys
53:07
so this is like having a baby for me. Who am I
53:16
Who am I? I'm John the John. And soldier there, you see it's true
53:27
That man bears no more guilt than you. State banquets always demand the highest standards, whoever the guests
53:38
Tonight, the staff have risen to the occasion. The plan worked well. Everything sort of came together
53:46
and any little mistakes that were there, you know, weren't seen on the night. A century of friendship between Britain and France
53:54
has been marked with a banquet fit for a queen. We, as her staff, must never forget that she is the Queen
54:53
On a hot day such as Garter Day, the middle of June, it can be very, very uncomfortable
55:13
Thank you
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