Skippyboo
Heir Apparent
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2011
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Who decides though who should attend the State Banquet ? In President Xi's case, I imagine the British government may have explicitly asked for Prince William's presence, but I can't see why they would make the same request in the case of King Felipe VI.
It would be highly unusual if Prince Charles, as the heir to the throne, did not attend a banquet in honor of a fellow European monarch. So, unless he has an excuse like not being in the UK on the day of the banquet, or being ill, I suppose it is a given that Charles and Camilla will be there. I am not so sure about William and Catherine though.
As someone mentioned, Charles has known D. Felipe since Felipe was still a teenager. However, by the same token, one could argue that Felipe has known William since William was a little boy, see the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye8ed19KIac
It's the British. The visiting country has a set list of people who they are bringing as their official delegation. Say 20 people and the total number of people that can attend is 100 for easy math. The British will have their usual people such as the PM, some cabinet members, Archbishop of Canterbury, Speaker of the commons, etc. Say 30 people. The Queen's private secretary probably get in touch with the other royals private secretaries to see who is free and I would think the Queen decides who is coming. 15 more. Then the rest people who the government decides to invite a lot of times prominent expats of the country involved, business leaders, people that the visiting country may find interesting. There are also backup people invited usually from the royal household who are there to fill a seat if needed.
With the Cambridges, we don't know if China was a one off or are they going to be a more constant presence at State visits and dinners.
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