The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, joined King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the first British State Banquet of the year. The banquet was hosted in the honour of President and First Lady of Korea who are paying a three days long state visit to the UK on the invitation of King Charles III.
The state Banquets are white tie-events so the expectations are always high. And this year, The Royal ladies did not disappoint. The Princess of Wales debuted a stunning tiara that has not been seen in the public since 1935 – The Strathmore Rose Tiara.
The Strathmore Rose tiara was a wedding gift to late Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth from her father The Earl of Strathmore – hence the name. The gorgeous Royal jewel featured 5 rose diamond pave-set flowers and rose diamond leafage sprays.
Interestingly, Princess Kate has worn 4 tiaras in the last 12 years since her marriage and 3 out of those 4 tiaras belonged to Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth.
On her wedding day, Kate wore Cartier Halo Tiara – The tiara was an anniversary gift from King George VI to his wife Queen Elizabeth.
In 2013, The Princess of Wales wore the second Royal tiara of her life – Lotus Flower (Papyrus) Tiara – Queen mother commissioned this tiara from a necklace that was her wedding gift.
And today the Strathmore Rose Tiara – Which was a wedding gift to Queen Mother from her father.
Earlier in the day, The Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed the Korean President at their hotel and then joined them for the official welcome ceremony.
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In the afternoon, King Charles III and Queen Camilla headed to Buckingham Palace to inspect the preparations going on behind the scene to welcome the Korean guests in the evening.
More than 160 guests from the U.K and South Korea gathered in the Buckingham Palace ballroom for the banquet. King Charles and Queen Camilla were joined by many of the senior working members of the royal family, including Prince William, The Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and The Duchess of Edinburgh.
“As our nations strive towards a harmony between progress and preservation, between the past and the present, we can look to the future with great confidence as our peoples forge ever closer links” – King Charles III during his speech
At Tuesday evening’s banquet, King Charles gave a speech starting with a line delivered in Korean welcoming their guests to Britain, which was met with applause.
In addition to praising the nation’s efforts on sustainability — with a special shout out to K-pop band BLACKPINK, who attended the banquet — the monarch referenced Korea’s influence on pop culture rivaling the U.K.’s! “Korea has matched Danny Boyle with Bong Joon-ho, James Bond with Squid Game and the Beatles’ ‘Let It Be’ with BTS’s ‘Dynamite,’ ” he said. “Our cultures share a remarkable ability to captivate imaginations across the world, transforming a so-called soft power into a shared superpower.”
Queen Camilla wowed at the tonight’s event in a dazzling red. The Queen was wearing Fiona Clare gown that she paired with Queen Elizabeth II’s Burmese Ruby and Diamond tiara paired with crown ruby necklace. The stunning tiara was designed by Garrard in 1973 using gemstones from the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara (which was originally a wedding gift from the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad to Princess Elizabeth in 1947), and rubies gifted to Her Late Majesty from the people of Burma.
What The Princess of Wales wore at the 2023 Korean State Banquet
- Jenny Packham Anemone sequin Gown – (New – Thanks to Katies Royal Love for the id)
- The Strathmore Rose Tiara – (Crown Jewel)
- The Queen’s Diamond Pendant Earrings – (Crown Jewel)
- Royal Victorian Order Sash and Star
- The Royal Family Order
- UFO White Gloves
- Anya Hindmarch Maud Clutch with Pearls
- Gianvito Rossi Rania 105 embellished pumps – (Repeat)
A Royal Jewel that needs a comeback – The Strathmore Rose Tiara. pic.twitter.com/tjq8ryfahR
— RegalFille (@RegalFille) April 27, 2023
The highlight of the today’s look was the gorgeous tiara that made a comeback after almost 90 years. The last time the tiara was seen in 1935 at the Royal Variety performance by the then Duchess of York – later Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II inherited the tiara but she never wore the tiara. So it was great to see the stunning piece making a come back to the limelight.