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Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has made her first black-tie appearance.
She appeared at a state dinner for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa wearing a Jenny Packham gown with a white cape. The dress, which had a boat neckline and sparkling beading, was a subdued yet elegant option for an evening at Buckingham Palace.
She was wearing a Lover’s Knot Tiara. It holds a special place in the Princess’ heart and is one of her favorites; she has worn it on several occasions. The Lover’s Knot Tiara, which is made of diamonds and 19 dangling pearls set in silver and gold, was initially ordered by the House of Garrard for Queen Mary in 1913.
In the end, Princess Diana’s daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, loaned the tiara from her. It became one of the most well-known tiaras in history thanks to Diana’s meteoric stardom. However, it’s possible that she didn’t like it as much as the general public did because it was apparently so heavy that she experienced headaches after wearing it. In fact, one of the most recognizable photos of the late Princess Diana is a picture of her wearing the tiara and posing with a white, pearl-encrusted Catherine Walker from 1989.
Queen Elizabeth then gave it to the young royal when Kate Middleton wed Prince William in 2011—14 years after Diana passed away. Middleton wore a pearl bracelet once owned by the late Queen, who passed away in September, on top of her tiara, another piece of jewelry that honored the royal ladies who came before her. She added two badges to her golden attire as accents. The first was the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order, a white enamel Maltese cross with a Tudor crown, which the then Duchess of Cambridge received from Queen Elizabeth in 2019 “for services to the queen.”
The second was the Queen Elizabeth II Yellow Royal Family Order, which is given to female monarchs in the United Kingdom.
Kate Middleton’s Previous State Dinners
March 2022 – Wearing Jenny Packham gown
June 2019 – Alexander McQueen gown
