Insiders reveal the food King Charles has BANNED from French state visit banquet – and the reasons why (but mushrooms are on the menu because they remind him of Queen Elizabeth II)

Three of France’s best foie gras chefs will be barred from using the fatty duck delight when they cook for King Charles and Queen Camilla at a lavish banquet this evening.

This follows Charles providing a strict list of culinary requirements for the meal at the Palace of Versailles on Wednesday evening.

Asparagus – which was on the menu in March before the royal trip was postponed due to widespread riots across France – has also been excluded, as it is no longer in season.

But there will be plenty of mushrooms, which are Charles and Camille’s favorite because they “remind them of the late Queen Elizabeth II,” according to a French government source.

This photo taken on September 19, 2023 shows the French and British national flags in front of the Hôtel des Invalides in central Paris, as part of preparations for the upcoming visit of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to France .

Chef Ann-Sophie Pic (photo) holds ten Michelin stars

Michelin-starred maestros Yannick Alléno, Anne-Sophie Pic and Pierre Hermé finalized a menu which was sent to London for approval.

All are known for using foie gras in their cooking, with pastry chef M. Hermé even using it in his chocolate macaroons.

But the source said: “The king banned foie gras from his residences in Britain, so he had no option of eating it in France.

“He also doesn’t want asparagus out of season, because shipping it is damaging to the environment, but there will be a mushroom gratin, which was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth.

“We understand that Charles was foraging for mushrooms just before his mother died in Scotland.”

Foie gras is considered particularly cruel because it is made by force-feeding ducks or geese until their livers swell.

French chef Pierre Hermé

French chef Yannick Alléno

A cyclist passes the British Embassy on the eve of the visit of the King and Queen of England on September 19, 2023 in Paris, France

The Menu at Versailles will instead be:

Starter: Blue lobster and potted crab with a veil of fresh almonds and peppermint (Created by Anne-Sophie Pic, the only French chef with three Michelin stars)

Main course: Bresse chicken with corn and porcini gratin

(Cooked by Yannick Alléno)

Cheese: Comté 30 months, Stilchelton English blue

Desert: Persian macaron from Isfahan

(Pierre Hermé’s signature pudding inspired by the ancient city of Iran and containing rose water, raspberries and lychees.)

Wines costing more than £400 a bottle will also be on the menu at Versailles.

The Pol Roger cuvée Winston Churchill 2013 champagne is listed at £500 + per magnum. The Bâtard Montrachet grand cru 2018 is £430+, and the Château Mouton Rothschild 2004 is £400+.

Luxury goods prepared for the king which infuriated anti-government protesters in France last March also included bottles of wine worth hundreds of pounds each.

All dishes will be consumed in the legendary Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, where the late Queen was received during her first state visit to France in 1957.

Some 150 guests were invited this time, including star actresses Charlotte Rampling, Kristin Scott Thomas and Catherine Deneuve.