The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, lit up Buckingham Palace last night, making a triumphant return to formal royal duties at her first state banquet in almost two years.
Stepping out for the long‑anticipated occasion, the Princess of Wales wore a dramatic dark‑red silk creponne gown by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, its softly gathered bodice flowing into a cape‑back that swept behind her.
Kate Middleton paired the dress with a slim, lily‑of‑the‑valley evening clutch, the flower is said to symbolise happiness and renewal and completed the look with the gleaming Lover’s Knot Tiara.
During the banquet the Princess of Wales also debuted the King Charles III Family Order, a miniature portrait of the monarch worn on a yellow ribbon by senior royal women and regarded as a mark of particular favour.
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Photographers captured Kate Middleton greeting dignitaries beneath crystal chandeliers, her ruby gown and sparkling diamonds standing out among the white‑tie finery.
Following a challenging year of cancer treatment, the Princess of Wales had kept her public diary deliberately light; palace officials confirmed her attendance only hours before the dinner, heightening anticipation for her appearance.
At 43, Kate Middleton looked renewed and confident, smiling broadly beside The King and The Queen as the national anthems played.
The Princess of Wales accessorised the ensemble with diamond earrings once owned by Princess Diana, echoing the sentimental tribute in her choice of tiara, which was also a favourite of her late mother‑in‑law.
Royal watchers noted that Kate Middleton’s repeated choice of the Lover’s Knot Tiara — this was at least her 13th outing in it, serves as a subtle nod to continuity and legacy within the House of Windsor.
As the evening drew to a close, the Princess of Wales was seen laughing with foreign guests, clearly relishing her return to the spotlight after a two‑year absence from state banquets, a glittering comeback that many hailed as a new chapter for Britain’s future queen.
