As much as I loved the Princess of Wales’s gold gown for September’s State Banquet, she just took things to another level of magnificence. After welcoming the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife to the UK earlier in the day wearing blue, Kate stuck with the colour for the evening at Windsor Castle, paired with a very significant tiara.
Her floor-sweeping icy-blue gown was embellished with glimmering sequins and had the dramatic cape sleeves she loves. Like her golden cape-effect tulle gown for the No Time To Die movie premiere in 2021, versions of which are still being made, this was unmistakably a Jenny Packham design.
With her day-to-day wardrobe, the Princess champions the best British clothing brands and the same is true with her formalwear. She’s worn Jenny Packham gowns for years and this dress was the perfect pairing for her magnificent tiara.
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Crafted from sequin fabric, this skirt has a midi design that exudes elegance. Its straight cut offers a modern and versatile silhouette and you could easily make it more casual by styling it with a chunky jumper and knee-high boots. Add plenty of silver jewellery to bring out the sparkle.
New-in at Hobbs, this emerald dress screams 'Christmas' but would also work for winter weddings and other special occasions. It reminds me of Kate's green sequin Jenny Packham gown with the level of embellishment and rich colour. It's got a fit-and-flare silhouette and a V-neckline.
Burgundy is always a popular colour for the season and this midi skirt is covered in matching sequins that catch the light, making it feel even more festive. It's fully pleated throughout to create beautiful movement. Pair with your favourite jumpers or tops and heels and you're good to go to a party.
Accessories are a fun and more affordable way to add some sparkle into your outfits and this bag from M&S is a lovely option. The copper tone will go with so many other shades and it's compact, but still has plenty of room for your essentials. The top handle strap is adjustable and it's lined inside.
Available in a variety of different colours, this pleated clutch bag is made from satin and has an embellished clasp at the top. It's an understated choice if you want to wear more shimmery pieces for party season and comes with an optional chain strap too.
These come in gold, silver and bronze so you can pick the metallic that best suits your signature style and other accessories. They're a timeless court shoe style and the embellishments add extra glamour. The crystals are focused on the toe and the back.
It had pleats in the skirt giving it volume and the neckline was asymmetric, framing her decolletage and naturally drawing the eye to King Charles’s Family Order pinned on the left. Sequins cascaded down the bodice and skirt, with subtle amounts on the sleeves.
The Princess of Wales left her hair down in soft waves and sitting atop them was a tiara she’s never worn before and was last worn by the late Queen Elizabeth twenty years ago. Kate’s choice immediately stood out to me as besides it being gorgeous, set with diamonds and rubies, it shows how much thought goes into every element.
The Oriental Circlet Tiara is understood to have been designed for Queen Victoria by her husband Prince Albert. He was German and Queen Victoria had German heritage, so in wearing this piece, Kate was paying tribute to not only Germany, but the long-standing links between the country and the UK and Royal Family.
It’s subtle but speaks volumes and this is exactly the kind of meticulous attention-to-detail that goes into crafting royal outfits. There are always layers of meaning to everything and I also noticed that the future Queen was also nodding to the United Kingdom.
Her dress was blue, her tiara featured rubies and the ribbon for King Charles’s Family Order was white, so in a way she was flying the flag for her home nation too. Though you could barely see them under the hem of her gown, Kate wore sparkly Gianvito Rossi court shoes to finish off her State Banquet look.
Ahead of the occasion, she and Prince William released a portrait of themselves on social media, showing the couple in their finery standing in front of a Christmas tree.
They didn’t mention where it was taken, so who knows if this was at Windsor Castle, or the first glimpse of the couple’s new home, Forest Lodge. I think the first option is more likely given how private they are and how this is an official occasion.
This picture really showed the height of the Circlet Tiara and it’s bigger than the tiaras the Princess of Wales has worn in the past. Since becoming a royal, Kate has only actually donned five different tiaras.
The first was the Cartier Halo Tiara she wore on her wedding day and the Lover’s Knot Tiara is the headpiece she’s worn the most. The Princess has also been seen in the Lotus Flower Tiara, the Strathmore Rose Tiara and, now, the Oriental Circlet Tiara.
