Kate Middleton is back in a tiara for the first time in a year and a half.
The Princess of Wales, 43, joined members of the British royal family at a state banquet on July 8, held to honor French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, during their state visit to the U.K. The Windsor Castle event was also attended by Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla, who all dressed the part for the regal occasion.
Princess Kate wore what has become her go-to royal headpiece, Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, with a caped red dress designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, her royal wedding dress designer.
The Prince and Princess of Wales also snapped a sweet photo glammed up together that they shared on social media. “Ready for what promises to be a wonderful State Banquet this evening in Windsor,” they wrote.
Princess Kate has not worn a tiara since December 2023 when she slipped on the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. She paired the headtopper with her pink Jenny Packham gown, a complete repeat of her look at the Jordan royal wedding earlier that year.
Her last state banquet appearance was in November 2023 during the President and First Lady of South Korea’s state visit. There, she slipped on the Strathmore Rose Tiara, which hadn’t been worn since the 1930s.
Since marrying Prince William in 2011, Princess Kate has worn four different tiaras from the royal collection on numerous occasions.
The reason for Kate’s tiara hiatus is partially due to her stepping out of the spotlight for most of 2024 while she focused on cancer treatment.
Although the Princess of Wales did not don a tiara during the Qatar state visit in December, she did participate in the occasion. In a rare appearance, she joined Prince William in welcoming the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, on Dec. 3. However, she did not attend the state banquet with other royals later that evening.
Princess Kate announced in January that she is in remission but is still working to balance her public duties with her recovery. She recently spoke about the “really difficult” phase after treatment during her July 2 Colchester Hospital visit.
“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment’s done, then it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal,’ but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult,” she said during the outing.
At the state banquet, held at Windsor Castle for the first time in 11 years, King Charles and President Macron led the royal procession, followed by Queen Camilla and Brigitte. The Prince of Wales was next in the lineup beside Professor Edith Heard, while the Princess of Wales was right behind her husband with Christophe Leribault.
READ: Princess Kate Delivers Subtle Power Message While Welcoming the Macrons with Prince William
Prince Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, also joined the evening banquet as well as Princess Anne, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and more members of the royal family.
All aspects of the event were thoughtfully planned with touches related to France and the attendees. After dinner, guests were served Taylor’s 1977 Vintage Port and a 1948 Grande Champagne Cognac by Frapin & Co, reflecting the years of President Macron’s and King Charles’ births. A cocktail was also created for the occasion: called “L’entente,” it combines British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.
Flowers from the gardens at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle were hand-picked and used in the centerpieces. Any flowers that can’t be reused will be donated to the charity Floral Angels, of which Queen Camilla is a patron, to be delivered to hospices, elderly care homes, shelters and other locations in the community.
Earlier on Tuesday, Princess Kate and Prince William helped welcome the French President and his wife, kicking off the state visit. The royal couple greeted the Macrons at RAF Northolt, an airbase located in Greater London, before they all traveled to Windsor together for a formal welcome from King Charles and Queen Camilla. The group then headed to Windsor Castle in regal fashion, in a horse-drawn carriage procession, where they had lunch and a special exhibition of items from the Royal Collection.
English