Dispatch from the White House state dinner
Margot Robbie and Andrew Forrest may have declined, but the guest list still included a long list of celebrities, business leaders and other notable figures.
Today I'm filing from the White House, where a state dinner for Anthony Albanese is taking place. While it is still a lavish feast, the Israel-Hamas war has forced Joe Biden to host a more subdued event.
At 6.44pm local time Albanese, wearing a black tuxedo, arrived in a black limousine at the front of the White House with his partner Jodie Haydon, who was in a princess-style ball gown made by Australian designer Paolo Sebastian.
They were welcomed by the president wearing a black suit and tie and the first lady, Jill Biden, dressed in a silver blush gown by Reem Acra.
With a grin on his face, Biden told Albanese: “We both did very well.”
