Who do you bring to the Winter Palace and why?

Just finished a run last night, after over a year away from DAI. Mild despondency this morning, as I ponder whether or not I should write something about the inquisitor and what happened to him after Trespasser.

In any case, this time around I followed my usual pattern of gameplay. Human male inquisitor, Archer, didn't recruit either Sera (gahhh!) or Iron Bull (who can be stupid enough to bring in a Qunari spy within the organization? Although in the end, the joke is on you, since the Inquisition was infiltrated by Qunari agents from almost the beginning...).

As for the question at hand. I brought Vivienne (she knows everyone at court so it's a no-brainer) - Cassandra (royalty and right hand of the late Divine), Dorian (nobility and outsider insights).

I never take Cole because he'd stick out like sore thumb, or Blackwall. He wouldn't want to expose himself, especially not in Orlais. Whoever hired Rainier to murder General Callier might have been in attendance and recognized him. And finaly I think it is in character for Solas to avoid undue attention, even though he's an arrogant bastard who enjoys sticking it to his enemies, so I never bring it either.

And of course my Cullen was there. I never marry him though, even though I always romance him. It would look ridiculous for 2 men to marry, in that world at that time. The Inquisition people might whisper and speculate about the close friendship between the Inquisitor and the Commander of their armies, but both are discrete so appearances are kept.

Pity the game can't recognize who you actually bring, so all the companions have comments afterwards, as if they had been there - a bit jarring.

He has ways of avoiding that.
Nope. Someone almost does, but it's not the guy who hired him to commit high treason. That guy killed himself when the plot was unveiled and Gaspard denounced it.