King Charles III is meeting with the leaders of the Commonwealth on the eve of his Coronation.
There were 42 at the lunch, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese, and prime minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.
A smiling Sir Keir Starmer fresh from a local election landslide and First Lady Jill Biden arrived later at the event at Buckingham Palace.
It followed King Charles being spotted shaking hands and greeting members of the public on the Mall in a surprise appearance with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers around 2pm, who cheered and could be heard shouting “God save the King”.
It comes after royal fans caught a glimpse of the royal family from afar on Friday morning as they carried out a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey.
Saturday’s ceremony will see a parade through the streets of central London, before Charles and Camilla are crowned at the Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Huge crowds are flocking to the capital to witness the historic moment, while a mammoth security operation is underway.
