This Is What King Charles Served Stanley Tucci for Dinner—and You’ll Wish You Were Invited

If Stanley Tucci, David and Victoria Beckham, Donatella Versace and Dame Helen Mirren show up for dinner, then you better have a pretty amazing menu planned! And that is exactly what happened when King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted this A-list roster for an Italian-themed dinner night.

According to the BBC, the dinner was a kickoff celebration of Italian food and wine in anticipation of King Charles’ official state visit to Italy in April. During that visit, he will conduct several meetings and pop over to the Vatican to visit with the Pope. That visit will also coincide with Charles and Camilla’s 20th wedding anniversary on April 9, so we’re guessing they’re going to celebrate with a classic Italian meal!

Is Stanley Tucci friends with King Charles?

While he might not be king of any countries, Stanley Tucci sure is the king of our hearts (and of Negroni making). So how does he know King Charles? He recently hosted a BBC program called “Searching For Italy” that celebrated Italian food and culture, and as such was a guest of honor at the King’s dinner, where he also gave a speech.

Tucci wasn’t the only celebrity in attendance, though he was the only American. Helen Mirren and her husband have a house in Puglia where they live for six months out of the year, so they were eager to celebrate all things Italy with the King. David Beckham actually spent two years playing soccer with the AC Milan Club and, of course, Donatella Versace needs no introduction!

What was on the menu?

Though Queen Elizabeth had some strict Italian meal rules, it sounds like King Charles went all out. Calabrian chef Francesco Mazzei partnered with Tucci on the menu, and mixologist Alessandro Palazzi made sure that drinks were flowing all night. The menu featured Italian dishes made with British ingredients—some of which were grown onsite at King Charles’ residence at Highgrove.

The full menu was super fancy and sounds as amazing as you’d think it would be. During the cocktail reception, guests ate Tuscan-style paté, salami and British vegetable tartlets paired with Highgrove sparkling wine.

The dinner menu included Scottish crab panzanella, Westcombe ricotta and Highgrove fine herbs ravioli, Isle of Wight tomato passata, Suffolk Red porchetta, pumpkin and sage mash, Tuscan kale, zuppa inglese (an Italian trifle similar to tiramisu) and biscotti. Talk about a feast fit for a king!

In the meantime, we’ll be making Tucci’s pasta casserole and pairing it with Italian desserts to pretend we’re having our own royal feast.