Princess Kate was the picture of elegance as she joined her husband Prince William at the state banquet on Tuesday evening.
King Charles hosted South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at Buckingham Palace – and was supported by key members of his family, including the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Mother-of-three Kate stunned onlookers in a bridal white Jenny Packham ‘Elspeth’ dress, which was adorned with sequins. She completed her show-stopping look with the Lover’s Knot tiara – a favourite of the late Princess Diana.
Most royal watchers instantly recognized the glittering diadem as Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, often shortened to the Lover’s Knot. It’s the eighth time she’s worn it—cementing its position as her “favorite” (or at least most frequently donned) tiara. It’s a fantastical headpiece, one that can still be distinctly glimpsed through a car window on the drive to Buckingham Palace.
The Lover’s Knot Tiara was commissioned for Queen Mary in 1913 from Britain’s House of Garrard. It consists of diamonds and a collection of 19 hanging pearls, all set in silver and gold. Later it was handed down to Queen Elizabeth. She then eventually gave it to her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana.
It was through Diana that Lover’s Knot became one of the most recognizable pieces of jewelry belonging to the British royal family. (Allegedly, the piece was so heavy that she used to get headaches after wearing it.) She famously paired it with a white, pearl-encrusted Catherine Walker ensemble while visiting Hong Kong in 1989. Upon her divorce from Prince Charles, the tiara was returned to Queen Elizabeth.
Kate Middleton didn’t wear the Lover’s Knot Tiara for the first few years of her royal tenure. On her wedding day, Kate Middleton wore the Cartier Halo Tiara. Then, for other formal occasions—most notably at the state dinner for Chinese president Xi Jinping—she donned the Lotus Flower Tiara. However, in December 2015, she wore the Lover’s Knot for that year’s Diplomatic Reception. Immediately, comparisons to Diana were made.
Since then, it’s become the Duchess’s formal headwear of choice. Below, all the times Kate Middleton has worn the Lover’s Knot Tiara.
The Duchess of Cambridge attends the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. It’s the first time she wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara in public.
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