The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, stunned in her first tiara moment after three years without one last week. She joined King Charles III alongside her husband, Prince William, for the Royal State Banquet in Buckingham Palace.
The ceremony was to welcome Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, to the UK for King Charles' reign. The Princess of Wales chose the Lover's Knot Tiara, originally worn by Queen Mary and a favorite of Princess Diana.
The Lover's Knot tiara is as old as c. 1913/1914 and belonged to Queen Mary, who made it a replica of the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Augusta of Hesse, her grandmother's crown. Kate further paid tribute to her late mother-in-law by wearing her earrings, then topped them with a bracelet belonging to Queen Elizabeth.
The Princess of Wales wore a white cape dress with embellished epaulets and a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order sash pinned with a Royal Family Order star.
According to an old Vogue spread on the tiara, Princess Diana allegedly suffered headaches after wearing the tiara due to its weight. Royal jeweler Garrard made the tiara in 1914 from pearls and diamonds.
Kate wore the Lover's Knot tiara for the first time in December 2015 for the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.
Then she wore it again in 2016 for the same event. The following year, Kate wore the diamond diadem to the State Banquet for the Monarchs of Spain and five more times after that.
Prince William matched his wife's regality in a black tuxedo suit with a white shirt and bow tie. He accessorized it with the Garter Star, Thistle Star, and three miniature medals in tribute to his grandmother.
The first was for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, then her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and finally, her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Queen Consort Camilla paid her respects to the late Queen with her outfit.
Queen Consort Camila also had her first tiara moment as she donned the Belgian Sapphire Tiara in tribute to Queen Elizabeth. The Queen Consort also accessorized her look with matching sapphire and silver jewelry from the King George VI Victorian Sapphire Suite copied from Queen Elizabeth's style.
Unlike the Queen, Camilla wore a royal purple dress matching her sash and jewelry.
