Why The King and Queen Invited Stanley Tucci, David Beckham and Helen Mirren to a Glitzy Royal Dinner
Donatella Versace, Victoria Beckham and more famous faces joined the event at Highgrove House.
An unlikely cast of characters was welcomed to the table at Highgrove House on Friday, Feb. 7 when King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted a star-studded dinner—but bringing everyone from Stanley Tucci to Victoria and David Beckham together for a royal meal isn’t quite as random as it sounds.
The King and Queen are heading on a tour of Italy this spring, and to commemorate their upcoming trip, Their Majesties joined the Italian Ambassador to the U.K., Inigo Lambertini, and his wife, Maria Grazia Lambertini, along with Tucci, to host a “celebration of slow food and slow fashion,” per Buckingham Palace.
King Charles—long a champion of sustainable farming and organic cooking—turned to world-renowned chef Francesco Mazzei for the menu. The palace noted that Mazzei was inspired by Italian-American actor Tucci, who hosts National Geographic’s Tucci: The Heart of Italy series.
The dinner was created “using entirely British ingredients blended with Italian culinary traditions and local flavors,” per Buckingham Palace, and the event aimed “to fully embody the principles of slow food.”
