Anniversary of the NATO Summit Dinner

Cardiff Castle was honoured to host the NATO summit dinner in 2014.

The eyes of the world were on Wales and Cardiff Castle received global press and media attention as world leaders posed for a ‘family photo’ in front of the iconic Norman Keep before dining in the Castle’s magnificent Victorian Banqueting Hall.

Heads of State from over 60 countries, including US President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UK Prime Minister David Cameron were treated to a dinner created and prepared by the acclaimed, Michelin star Welsh chef, Stephen Terry.

The NATO summit dinner showcased some of the finest food in Wales by using locally sourced ingredients from the very best suppliers.

Did you know?

There was one very unexpected but highly fortuitous consequence of the NATO summit dinner being held at Cardiff Castle.

For such an important and historic visit, months of planning and unprecedented security measures were required in the lead up to the day itself. During a ‘Search and Seal’ procedure, locksmiths working with the team were able to open a drawer in the Castle Library that had been locked for around 50 years. Inside they discovered a set of missing handles, designed by William Burges, all in immaculate condition.

Employed by the 3rd Marquess of Bute, art-architect Burges was responsible for much of the lavish decoration that you see here today. Painstaking in his attention to detail, he would have personally overseen every aspect of the Castle’s detailed interiors, furnishings and furniture.