The Princess of Wales in Jenny Packham and a Surprise Tiara at State Dinner

The Princess of Wales debuted a new gown at tonight’s state dinner, but the real news was the tiara she chose to wear with her ensemble. 

The banquet honoring Germany’s state visit to the UK was held in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. (Buckingham Palace refurbishing precludes holding events there at this time.) Below, the King, Queen, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Elke Büdenbender.

As has become customary, Kensington Palace released a posed photo just as the dinner was getting underway.

Other royals in attendance included the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.

As well as the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Ambassador Wolfgang Dold escorts the Princess, and Sir Tim escorts Ms. Ulla Brunkhorst from Germany’s diplomatic corps. 
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also attended this evening’s banquet. Below, you see the Duchess as she processed to St. George’s Hall. 

Another view of the Prince and Princess as they walked to the banquet.

Rebecca English of The Daily Mail posted a brief video as people processed to dinner. 

A glittering State Banquet to mark the visit of the German President to the UK 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/jPlpUig2Kp

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) December 3, 2025

 A total of 152 people attended tonight’s gala.

This Hello story offers background on the dinner service. 

Royal staff spent five days setting up the table with pieces from the Grand Service from the Royal Collection, a silver-gilt dinner service dating back to 1811 which includes dinner plates, tureens, dessert stands, and candelabra, influenced by Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Oriental styles.

We learn more about the guest list from The Telegraph’s coverage. 

German supermodel Claudia Schiffer and her filmmaker husband Sir Matthew Vaughn will be among the guests on Wednesday evening.

Other famous names with German heritage or connections include movie-score composer Hans Zimmer, Strictly judge Motsi Mabuse, who lives in Germany, and children’s book illustrator Axel Scheffler, known for bringing the much-loved character The Gruffalo to life in his drawings.

Ms. Schiffer.

We get specifics on the menu from this People article. 

The dinner menu included ingredients from the royal estates, such as Windsor partridge. And the choice of one of the wines, Chateau la Fleur-Petrus, Pomerol, was from 1995 — the year that the president and his wife were married. The evening’s cocktail, crafted especially for the event with nods to their German guests, featured cherry brandy (a throwback to the first time Charles drank alcohol at school), flavored with cherry and chocolate meant to evoke Black Forest Gateau.

St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle also featured a special holiday touch for the German state banquet: a Christmas tree adorned with lights and gold ornaments!

The King delivered remarks.

The Daily Mail has details in this piece. 

In a warm and witty speech, the King highlighted the many centuries of history between Britain and Germany and current trading links, notably in the automobile industry.

He joked to huge laughter: ‘Even the distinguished representatives of the German automotive industry here this evening, with their cars containing all the latest technology, highest safety, greatest luxury, and new green technologies, would have looked in awe at you, Herr Bundespräsident, as you travelled this afternoon in the most comfortable and lowest emissions vehicle in the world: the horse-drawn Royal Carriage! It might only be six horsepower, but sometimes a simpler vehicle is all one needs.’

Turning to more serious matters, the King highlighted the marriage between Queen Victoria and his German-born great, great, great, grandfather, Prince Albert, who brought so many traditions to the UK that are still followed today.

President Steinmeier speaking. 
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And more on President Steinmeier’s remarks from The Mail’s story.

The German president replied with an equally warm address in which he referred to his own love of British music and listening to the British Forces Broadcasting Service as a teenager.

He also said that even those things that divided us – football, beer, lawns and our sense of humour – also demonstrated that the two countries actually shared the same passions.

The Princess applauding the King and President Steinmeier
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Prince William having a laugh during the speeches. 

There were toasts. 

A quick look at what some of the women in attendance wore begins with the Queen, in a deep teal lace gown by Fiona Clare. Her jewelry included the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, an emerald-and-diamond necklace, and earrings from her own collection. The Court Jeweller reports that the necklace is believed to come from the Greville bequest and also notes that the Queen wore “a stack of the late Queen Mother’s Art Deco bracelets.”

The Duchess of Edinburgh was in a bespoke gown by Suzannah London, accessorized by the Wessex Aquamarine tiara, and her Graff Nuage sapphire and diamond flower earrings and necklace, and an Anya Hindmarch “Maud” clutch.

And now for the Princess of Wales. She wore a shimmering bespoke Jenny Packham caped gown featuring an asymmetric neckline, fitted bodice with pleating at the waist, padded shoulders, and sheer cape. The dress’s fabric is embellished with sequins and crystals in an ombré pattern, while the tulle is only lightly covered in sequins. 

As mentioned above, the big news was seeing the Princess in the Oriental Circlet Tiara, a piece worn only once by Queen Elizabeth II, and not seen publicly since that occasion in 2005.

More from Patricia Treble in her Write Royalty piece. 

This tiara has only been worn by queens. Until now.

It was originally designed for Queen Victoria in 1853, and Prince Albert is believed to have been involved in its creation by Garrard, which describes its style as an “Indian-inspired design of lotus flowers and Mughal arches.”

It was originally set with opals, which Garrard says were one of his favourite gemstones. In 1902, Queen Alexandra had the opals replaced with rubies. She is believed to have worn it once, on a state visit to Germany, which could explain why it was worn tonight by the Princess of Wales to the state banquet of the German President.

The tiara choice also makes sense when remembering Prince Albert’s German heritage. If you look at the photo on the right, you can see this is a larger tiara than any others worn by the Princess, just in terms of how much of the head is covered by the structure itself.

Here you see Queen Elizabeth II wearing the tiara at a state dinner in Malta in 2005, believed to be the only time she wore it. 
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Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine, shared a photo he took of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wearing the tiara in 1984. 

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara to a gala at the London Coliseum in November 1984. 📷 Joe Little pic.twitter.com/TsuZVbR1kz

— Majesty Magazine (& Joe Little) (@MajestyMagazine) December 3, 2025

The Princess wore the Royal Family Order of King Charles III and the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order.  A Dame Grand Cross is the equivalent of a Knighthood for a male member of the Order—more from a 2019 People story. 

The sash signifies her position as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, the highest ranking of chivalry personally awarded by the Queen for being in her service. The order is also represented by a Maltese cross, which Kate wore near the bottom of the sash. 

The Royal Victorian Order was created by Queen Victoria in 1896 to allow her to recognize people who helped her or represented her. The ruling monarch personally selects who is given the honor.

Above right, you see close-ups of Queen Elizabeth’s chandelier-style earrings. The wise folks at Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault (no longer active) describe them as having “three thin strands of round and baguette diamonds supporting a large pear-shaped diamond pendant and a diamond arc below; at the very bottom rests a fringe of three additional strands of round and baguette diamonds.”

The Princess brought back her Rania 105 Embellished Pumps ($2695) in silver by Gianvito Rossi. The heels are crafted in sheer silk organza with suede detailing and hand-embellished with 4500 shimmering crystals. First worn during the 2022 Caribbean tour, they are a point-toe style with a 4.1″ heel. 

She carried her Anya Hindmarch “Maud” Clutch ($775). 

Here is one more photo from tonight’s dinner.

If you missed today’s first post, you will find it here.