The Queen puts her Royal banqueting rooms on the tourist menu at Buckingham Palace for the first time
It is a glittering scene that normally greets foreign monarchs, presidents and premiers. But now, lesser mortals are welcome to come and have a peek.
In a unique exhibition, the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace has been set up for a state banquet, complete with cutlery, glasses and table decorations.
From Tuesday until the end of September, the public are invited to soak up the view - one normally reserved solely for world leaders and other grandees.
Fit for a king: the ballroom decked out for a state banquet
There are mannequins dressed as serving staff, artificial fruit and flowers, and places set with full dinner service for 89. The horseshoeshaped table, which normally holds 170 guests, has been scaled down for the exhibition.
The gleaming silver-gilt plates belong to the Grand Service, which was made for the Prince of Wales, later George IV, in 1811 for £60,000.
The pudding dishes were made by the Minton factory in Stoke for Queen Victoria in 1877 and the fruit plates come from an 18th century service which was also acquired by George IV.
The Queen lends Sir Hugh Roberts a helping hand before the opening of the exhibition
Inspecting the dining table laid out with rare pieces
Two buffet displays at either side of the table feature a range of precious items, including the Shield of Achilles - a large dish from the 1821 coronation banquet of George IV - and the altar dish used at the coronation of Charles II in 1661.
Kathryn Jones, a spokesman for the Royal Collection, said: 'In this room we wanted to give the impression of what it might be like to attend a state banquet.
'Only a tiny minority of the population will have been invited to one, so giving everyone else the chance to experience the event was one of the ideas behind doing the exhibition.'
The form of a modern state banquet is largely unchanged since the reign of Queen Victoria.
Crystal clear: A member of staff inspects a wineglass and a Mercury and Bacchus candelabra from the collection that will be on display
Luxurious: Few ever see such a display
The Royal procession then makes its way to the ballroom, and before dinner is served, the Queen toasts the health of her guest, who replies and proposes the sovereign's health.
During dinner, music is played by a military orchestra in the gallery, and pipers process around the room at the end of dinner.
The Queen and the visiting head of state then leave through the West Gallery, and guests move to the state dining room or blue drawing room for coffee.
