What Was Served At France's Lavish $500k Dinner For King Charles?

If you watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics this year, you know that France knows how to throw a party. In fact, one of the biggest events the country forked out cash for last year was a state dinner for Britain's King Charles III. With a final total of almost €475,000 ($515,000 in American dollars), according to France's Cour des Comptes, the event piled on to France's national debt and 2023 budget deficit of €154 billion as well as landed the nation in the hot seat with the European Union for being financially reckless.

So, what was on the menu that racked up that kind of bill? Delicacies and rarities galore. Royal Correspondent at GB News Cameron Walker posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), a peek at the menu on the day of the event. To start, freshly-caught blue lobster and crab cake were on the menu. The communications manager of a French seafood company, Clémentine Fortineau, confirmed to The Daily Express that this unique crustacean is "one case in one to two million."

According to Walker, the main course to follow was Bresse poultry and cep (wild mushroom) gratin plus a cheese spread featuring 30-month Comté cheese. If you're unfamiliar with Bresse poultry, think of it as the Champagne of chickens, as it's only produced in a specific region, and its traits are influenced by the terroir. The feast concluded with Ispahan from Pierre Hermé, which is a rose macaroon complemented by lychee, raspberries, and rose petal cream.

Aside from the kingly dinner spread, expensive wines and real (also expensive) Champagne bottles were paired with the courses. Royal Editor Rebecca English from the Daily Mail posted on X, "@peterallenparis reports that wines costing more than £400 a bottle will also be on the menu at Versailles tonight," listing labels such as 2018 Batârd-Montrachet Grand Cru and 2004 Château Mouton Rothschild.

France's audit of the palace budget revealed that drinks alone at the dinner topped €42,000 ($45,467). Reportedly, the food that has a disturbing truth, foie gras, wasn't served, which makes sense, as King Charles has banned the French delicacy in the U.K.'s royal residences over concerns about animal cruelty (and it's not included in what he eats in a day, either). With the state dinner being held at the opulent Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, the venue was also a big-ticket item.

Plenty of celebrities were in tow for dinner with the king and French President Emmanuel Macron, including big names like Mick Jagger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Hugh Grant, and Emma Mackey. It seems that at least part of this opulent show is about keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. The Élysée Palace explained some of this extravagant spending by saying, "France maintains close diplomatic relations with a large number of countries, which organize equivalent events when they receive the Head of State," (via Politico).