The Princess of Wales, Catherine, looked lovely in a white gown when she arrived for the first State Banquet hosted by King Charles III in the honour of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. President Cyril Ramaphosa is visiting the UK for two days. Tonight’s event was one of the most anticipated events of the Royal Family’s winter calendar. We saw the return of tiaras after two years. The last time was the 2019 Diplomatic Reception.
Earlier in the day, Prince William and Princess Catherine welcomed the President at the Cyril Ramaphosa in Central London’s Corinthia Hotel ahead of the official welcome ceremony. If you missed the welcome ceremony please find all the details here.
It was King Charles III’s first State visit and State Banquet since becoming the Monarch in September this year.
Originally the visit was planned before the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Today’s event showed the seamless transition from Queen Elizabeth II’s reign to the new King’s era. Joining the King, The Queen and The Prince and Princess of Wales were the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
🌺 As final touches are made, The King and The Queen Consort inspect the table ahead of tonight’s State Banquet. pic.twitter.com/ETsgKxMqIC
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2022
Final preparations are underway for tonight’s State Banquet.
💐 Arrangements featuring British-grown seasonal flowers will adorn the Ballroom. pic.twitter.com/4MBJoOvb55
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 22, 2022
Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace shared some behind the scene moments showing the preparations for the evening. The foliage has been sourced from the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and crab apples in Kent. The menu of the evening included two main courses – grilled brill with wild mushrooms, truffles and sorrel sauce or ballotine of Windsor Pheasant filled with artichokes, quince compote and port sauce. The sides courses included a selection of assorted Chantenay carrots, kale with roasted butternut squash, braised fondant potatoes and salad. Iced Vanilla Parfait with Caramelised Apples or coffee and bite-sized confectionery were the options for dessert.
From The Town and Country report,
“Just as his late mother did, King Charles presided over every detail of the banquet, from the seating plan to the menu. He and Camilla personally inspected the table ahead of the evening. It was set with items from the Grand Service, which was commissioned by King George IV and includes more than 4,000 pieces. Floral arrangements in pink, red and purple were made out of wildflowers from the royal estates including rosehips, hydrangea and chrysanthemum blooms. A video posted online by the royal family showed the King and Queen Consort looking at the table, with Camilla reaching out to touch one of the floral arrangements. “
Both The King and the President addressed the gathering.
Heading towards Princess Catherine’s style – The Princess of Wales was wearing a white Jenny Packham Elspeth gown. Thanks to UFONoMore for the quick id.
The $5075 gown featured a boat neckline, jewelled shoulder, and fitted silhouette with a stretch cape. The gown was originally part of the brand’s 2021 bridal collection. The gown is currently available for pre-order.
Catherine teamed up the gown with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara which she debuted at December 2015’s Diplomatic Reception. Since then it has become The Princess of Wales’s go-to tiara. As of the time of writing this post, she has worn it on 8 occasions i.e. 2015 Diplomatic Reception, 2016 Diplomatic Reception, 2017 Spain State Banquet, 2017 Diplomatic Reception, 2018 Netherlands State Banquet and 2018 Diplomatic Reception, US State Banquet, 2019 Diplomatic Reception.
The Princess of Wales was wearing Lady Diana’s Diamond and Pearl Earrings that she first wore at BAFTA in February 2019.
Catherine highlighted her outfit with her GCVO regalia. She wore a blue, red and white sash of the Royal Victoria Order that was gifted by the late Queen Elizabeth II to Catherine in April 2019 at her 8th Wedding Anniversary with her Dame Grand Cross marking her appointment as a member of the Royal Victorian Order and the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Princess topped her sash with Bentley and Skinner Art Deco Diamond Set Brooch that she wore earlier this month at Remembrance Sunday.
Catherine was carrying her Alexander McQueen Clutch and wore Princess Diana’s four-strand Pearl Bracelet.
The Princess of Wales wore her Gianvito Rossi Rania 105 embellished pumps that she first wore at the evening reception in the Bahamas.
Her Majesty Queen Camilla was wearing the late Queen’s Belgian Sapphire Tiara, a Necklace from the George VI Sapphire Parure and new Earrings. Find more about Queen Camilla’s jewel at the Royal Watcher Blog.
