The Princess of Wales made her triumphant return to State Banquets and several choices she made spoke volumes
It’s been quite some time since we last saw the Princess of Wales step out in one of the magnificent royal tiaras, but this all changed at the State Banquet on 8th July. The Royal Family hosted French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte at Windsor Castle and Kate attended in a gorgeous Sarah Burton for Givenchy gown.
This was Kate’s first State Banquet since November 2023, so her attendance at this one was already special. But there were a few really meaningful details in her outfit that caught my eye.
There are several tiaras the Princess of Wales always gravitates towards and, of course, it had to be the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara for this State Banquet. It might not be the first tiara she ever wore as a royal, but it’s arguably her favourite and was a go-to for Princess Diana too.
In the couple’s engagement interview back in 2010 Kate expressed how much she “would have loved to have met” her late mother-in-law. She often makes subtle nods to Princess Diana with her jewellery choices and I would be surprised if she didn’t think of her whenever she wears this iconic tiara.
Encrusted with glimmering diamonds with hanging pearls, the Lover’s Knot Tiara was passed down to the late Queen Elizabeth. It was once owned by her grandmother Queen Mary of Teck, who had a new version of the tiara designed, based on *her* grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge’s, headpiece.
Queen Elizabeth and Kate had a close bond and her connection to this tiara makes it even more of a touching choice for the future Queen to wear. The full name – Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara – also nods to both a former Duchess of Cambridge and Kate’s own title.
I also noticed that Her Royal Highness was wearing King Charles’s Family Order for the very first time. You can just make out the miniature portrait of His Majesty on the blue ribbon pinned to his daughter-in-law’s dress, above one of Queen Elizabeth on a yellow ribbon.
If you’ve ever wondered what these are after seeing them at past State Banquets, a monarch’s Family Order is traditionally given to senior royal women in recognition of their service to them. Queen Camilla started wearing King Charles’s order last year, but as this is Kate’s first State Banquet since he issued them, this was her first time wearing it.
As we saw, the royals can wear several different ones at once and the Princess of Wales continued to wear Queen Elizabeth’s Family Order, just below King Charles’s. So did the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess Anne, though Queen Camilla only wore her husband’s.
All of these details are small and yet the history behind them gives them a significance you might not realise at first. The future Queen looked serene throughout the evening which celebrated UK-French relations. This is the first State Visit of a French President to the UK since 2008.
