The Princess of Wales attended a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in honour of the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte’s State Visit to the UK on Tuesday (9 July). For the formal occasion, the Royal Family were in full regalia and the Princess of Wales turned to one of Princess Diana’s favourite and most-worn tiaras.
Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara, which was worn on many occasions by the late Princess Diana, who was the previous Princess of Wales. The diamond tiara is hung with pearl droplets and originally belonged to Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth II’s grandmother. Kate also wore the dramatic Greville Chandelier Earrings, which belonged to the late Queen, whose mother inherited them from her friend, Dame Margaret Greville.
There was also an interesting connection behind the Princess of Wales’ floor-length, cape-style gown, which ties to her relationship with Prince William. The dress was specially made for Kate by Sarah Burton at Givenchy, who also designed Kate’s wedding dress when she was at Alexander McQueen.
The Prince of Wales was also dressed in full finery for the occasion, which included wearing his medals. The couple joined the King and Queen, Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and other members of the Royal Family at the gala, and Kate was seen chatting to President Macron during the dinner.
The State Visit is the first made by France for 17 years, and marked the end of the first of their three days in the UK. Earlier that day, the Prince and Princess of Wales were there to greet President Macron and Brigitte as they disembarked their plane. The group then joined a procession of carriages with The King and Queen through Windsor towards the castle.