A huge part of the excitement and glamour of a state banquet—at least for royal watchers—is getting to see which tiaras members of the Royal Family choose for the event. When it came to the French state banquet on Tuesday, July 8, some royal women—like Princess Anne with the Festoon Tiara—chose familiar headpieces they've worn on repeat for decades, while others went for bolder choices. Although Duchess Sophie's delicate aquamarine and diamond tiara isn't the showiest of diadems, it actually has a rather clever dual-purpose.
The Duchess of Edinburgh—arriving inside Windsor Castle with her husband, Prince Edward—looked gorgeous in a bespoke white Suzannah dress for the evening honoring French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. The brand tells Marie Claire that the piece was based on Suzannah's Delphine gown and crafted from a sparkling Italian sequin tweed fabric. Sophie pinned her two royal orders to the left side of the dress, draping her blue Royal Victorian Order sash across one of its sculpted sleeves.
