On Tuesday, November 21, Kate Middleton wore the stunning Strathmore Rose tiara to the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, a piece that belonged to the Queen Mother and which has not been seen in public since the 1930s. The headdress is constructed from geometric flower shapes studded with diamonds.
The Princess of Wales wore the diadem on top of her long brown hair, pairing it with a white Jenny Packham gown that featured a cape and gold details as well as white elbow-length opera gloves. In one hand, she carried a small silver clutch purse and in her ears were a pair of diamond drop earrings that previously belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The four course dinner at the palace was attended by 170 guests, including her husband Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, the President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeo and his First Lady Kim Keon Hee, and the band Blackpink.
Kate has worn special tiaras in the past, including during her wedding to William, where she sported the Cartier halo tiara, a piece gifted to the Queen Mother by King George VI.
She wore a tiara frequently seen on William’s mother Princess Diana, the Lover’s Knot, to another fancy dinner affair welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last year.
And she has been seen several times in the Queen Mother’s Lotus Flower tiara.
Wearing pieces that honor the lineage of William’s family seems to be an important part of Kate’s wardrobe during formal affairs. Last week, she was seen in a well-known pair of sapphire and diamond drop earrings that once belonged to Diana while delivering the keynote speech at the Shaping Us National Symposium at The Design Museum in London.
She’s been seen in this pair several times this year, including at the Trooping the Colour in the summer and at the Commonwealth Day Service in March at Westminster Abbey.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.