Kate Middleton Wears Princess Diana’s Tiara At King Charles’ First State Banquet
Kate Middleton wore a white caped gown by Jenny Packham for the banquet on Tuesday. The gown had silver embellishments on the shoulders and the princess paired it with Lover’s Knot Tiara and pearl drop earrings.
The dazzling diadem was a favorite of Princess Diana, Kate’s late mother-in-law. The stunning headpiece has 38 teardrop-shaped pearls suspended from arches. The princess had earlier worn the tiara in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019.
The tiara wa*-s crafted in 1914, and the late Queen Elizabeth II gave it as a wedding gift to Princess Diana in 1981. Princess Diana loved the accessory and wore it on multiple occasions. However, she reportedly had headaches due to the weight of the headpiece. She returned the tiara after her divorce from then Prince Charles.
The other accessory that Kate wore, the pearl drop earrings too, belonged to her mother-in-law, and the triple-stranded pearl and diamond bracelet belonged to Queen Elizabeth’s jewelry collection. She completed the look with a yellow ribbon pinned to her dress, denoting her position in the Royal Family Order, and a blue sash, representing her role in the Royal Victorian Order. The yellow ribbon had a brooch that featured a photo of the late queen. The present Queen, Camilla, also wore a similar brooch.
The banquet was King Charles III’s first banquet at Buckingham Palace as a monarch, and was held to welcome South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the United Kingdom.
The Twitter post of the royal family read, “This evening, The King and The Queen Consort are hosting a State Banquet, on behalf of the Nation, for the President of the Republic of South Africa.”
In his speech, Reuters reported King Charles saying, “The late Queen had the great pleasure of hosting Presidents Mandela, Mbeki and Zuma for State Visits to the United Kingdom, at all of which I was present. Let us rekindle the moral purpose of the global fight agai-+*nst apartheid to confront the discrimination, inequality and injustice that divides humanity and that stifles the progress of all.”
The visit was scheduled before the death of the queen on September 8. On this visit, Ramaphosa is going to visit Westminster Abbey and the memorial stone for former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Kate had earlier stepped out with her husband, Prince William, to welcome Ramaphosa. She wore an elegant tailored coat from Emelia Wickstead and paired it with sleek pointed-toe heels, the Princess of Wales’ feather brooch, and the same pearl earrings she wore to the banquet.
The princess looked elegant in the attire, styled her enviable brunette tresses in loose curls and wore a pillbox hat with a big bow. She completed the look with a Mulberry “Bayswater” clutch.
The Prince and Princess received the President on behalf of the King and took him to Horse Guards Parade. Here, the president received a ceremonial welcome from King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
