This evening the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took part in their first state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
i-Images
The function honors the President of China, Xi Jinping, and his wife, Madame Peng. Below, William and Kate arriving at Buckingham Palace.
And the Duchess walking into the Palace ballroom, accompanied by Wang Huning, a leader of China’s Communist Party.
The BBC via The Daily Mail
This evening the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Queen’s annual diplomatic reception. The event was a white tie affair at Buckingham Palace, bringing our first photos of Kate in a tiara since her wedding day.
Jesal / Tanna / Splash News
Kate is wearing the Lotus Flower tiara, also referred to as the Papyrus Tiara; it originally belonged to the Queen Mother. The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor explains it was actually made from a necklace.
It was made from one of her wedding gifts, a necklace of a Greek key pattern with pendant diamonds and pearls given by her husband, the future George VI.
Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor
A Tiara a Day notes that the original necklace was create by Garrard Jewelers. In the 1920s (when she was known as the Duchess of York) the Queen Mum decided she preferred the diamonds and pearls be worn atop her head as opposed to around her neck. Garrad was given the task of disassembling the necklace and then recreating it into the tiara seen on the Queen Mum and then on Princess Margaret, and now, on Kate. (It has also been worn by others. Princess Margaret’s daughter-in-law, Viscountess Linley, née Serena Stanhope, wore it on her wedding day.) This stunning image comes from the book Tiaras: A History of Splendour, by Geoffrey C. Munn, via the Royal Post.
Tiaras: A History of Splendour via The Royal Post
It is one of the more delicate tiaras in the royal vault. In some respects it looks lighter (not in weight, but in design and appearance) than the Cartier Halo tiara worn by Kate on her wedding day in 2011.
Splash News
HM loaned the Halo Scroll to Kate for the wedding. Had Kate any desire to wear it again this evening that would not have been possible. The tiara is part of the Cartier: Style and History exhibit at the Grand Palais opening tomorrow. (Many thanks to Joyce (auntym210 on Twitter) for letting us know the tiara is included in that exhibit.
Kate also wore the diamond chandelier earrings loaned to her by the Queen. We have seen the Duchess wear them previously, she is shown below wearing them at the BAFTA dinner in Hollywood during the 2011 North American Tour, and then again this evening.
Jesal/Tanna/Splash & PA Wire
Royal Photographer Mark Stewart verified the Duchess was in a gown by Alexander McQueen. It is another piece using lace, it also features eyelash lace, similar to the McQueen dress worn for the Jubilee church service in 2012. We compare lace at the necklines below.
Top: PA Wire / Bottom: Jesal-Tanna-Splash News
The color of the dress reminds me of that icy blue of the Emilia Wickstead worn to the National Portrait Gallery this April.
Weir Photos /Splash News
Kate’s hair was styled in a partial updo for tonight’s engagement.
Jesal / Tanna / Splash News
It is unlikely we will see any photos from inside the event, we didn’t even expect to see photos of Kate and William arriving.
Tonight’s Tip of the Tiara (no pun intended, but appropriate nonetheless) to Mark Stewart (the same mentioned above) and Jesal Parshotam of Ikon Photos for bringing us photos of Kate and William arriving at Buckingham Palace event.
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A quick update to Kate’s Calendar: This Friday (the 6th) Kate will have tea with children and family members at the Shooting Star Children’s Hospice. She will also watch a music therapy session and meet volunteers. In addition to Kate’s own interest in the children’s hospice movement, this would fall under the umbrella of her EACH Patronage.
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Also this evening, we want to announce the lucky winners of our wonderful giveaway sponsored by the always-generous Links of London.
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