Day for a Queen

Talk about being thrown into the deep end. Amy Zantzinger's first assignment as the new White House social secretary? Tomorrow's state dinner for Queen Elizabeth -- the most glamorous social event of this administration.

Laura Bush decided that the dinner for 134 guests will be white tie, a first for the Bushes. That means another layer of formality -- tiaras, medals, stuff like that. Most female guests, and the first lady, have purchased new gowns for the occasion. Oh, and first daughter Barbara Bush is bringing a mystery date.

Zantzinger's job is to make sure everything goes exactly as planned, which means double-checking every last detail. What could go wrong? During the queen's last visit, in 1991, it was the too-tall lectern -- all you could see was a royal hat. Last December, three women showed up at a reception for Kennedy Center Honors recipients wearing the very same red Oscar de la Renta gown as the first lady, and Mrs. Bush had to duck out and change clothes.

Won't happen again, Zantzinger promises. The queen will stand on a custom-made step for her remarks, and Laura Bush has asked de la Renta (obviously no hard feelings) to create a one-of-a-kind gown -- embroidered turquoise silk faille with a matching embroidered bolero.

De la Renta also designed her suit for the arrival ceremony at the White House earlier in the day tomorrow and a short cocktail dress for Tuesday's black-tie dinner at the British Embassy. The queen's dresser coordinated with the designer and the first lady's staff to make sure the two women wear complementary colors.

So far, so good. "I'm not nervous about this event," insists Zantzinger, 40, who replaced Lea Berman in March. The mom of two spent four years working in the White House Visitors Office during Bush 41's administration, and was tapped for the social secretary job partly because she already knew the mansion's staff. After plenty of meetings with the embassy and queen's staffs, she thinks she's pretty much got everything under control.

Tomorrow morning, the president and more than 7,000 guests will greet the queen with a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn. That's followed by a private lunch for 12 in the Bush family quarters while the chefs and florists put the finishing touches on the main event.

On Thursday, Zantzinger pulled up a computer image of the State Dining Room on a large video screen to put the finishing touches on the seating chart. (The guest list is a secret but expect former secretaries of state and ambassadors to the Court of St. James's.) President Bush will sit next to the queen at Table 12, the first lady next to Prince Philip at Table 11, and everyone else is sprinkled around the room with a click of Zantzinger's mouse.

Dinner, which was tested two weeks ago by Laura Bush, will consist of five courses (appetizer, fish, meat, salad and a dessert named "Spring Blossoms" -- look for elaborate sugar flowers) instead of the usual four. No rules from the palace about the royal palate, just "minor subtle preferences," says Zantzinger. "The queen doesn't like spicy foods."

The Palfrey Affair? It's a Bit Paltry as D.C. Scandals Go

With all due respect to Deborah Jeane Palfrey, so far the D.C. Madam story lacks the oomph of scandals past. Where are the randy congressmen? The misuse of tax dollars? The brazen romps on the Capitol steps? The magnitude of a D.C. sex scandal can be calculated with a simple formula: The level of power (on a 1-10 scale) of the guy caught with his pants down times the number of key salacious elements (e.g., adultery, graft, predatory behavior).

WILBUR MILLS (1974)

Powerful House committee chairman caught speeding with stripper gal pal Fanne Foxe, who jumps into the Tidal Basin; later he joins her onstage, drunk.