William and Kate attended the Queen’s Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. They joined other senior royals, including Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.
During the reception, the Queen meets with every head of mission accredited to the Court of St James’s in London.
The annual event calls for formal attire, with female royals wearing glittering tiaras and impressive jewels, often loaned from the Queen’s vault.
You may recall that the Duchess attended the reception for the first time in 2013. She donned the Lotus Flower tiara (also known as the Papyrus tiara). Kate wore this tiara again recently, during the State Banquet held for the visiting Chinese President.
This year, Kate debuted the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot tiara. This piece was famously worn by Diana, Princess of Wales for many years.
Royal followers may be aware that Queen Elizabeth gave Diana the Lover’s Knot as a wedding gift in 1981. When Charles and Diana divorced, the tiara made its way back to the Queen.
Now, on to Kate’s chandelier earrings. You may recognise these – they’re another loan from the Queen. The Duchess wore them to a BAFTA dinner in 2011, the Diplomatic Reception in 2013 and again recently, at the Chinese State Banquet.
Sadly, we do not have any photographs of Kate’s dress (and it’s unlikely we’ll get any from inside the reception) but we can tell it is a repeat. The Duchess is wearing the same Alexander McQueen dress from the 2011 Diplomatic Reception. As you can see from the photo below, the dress is made using powder blue lace.
UPDATE: An documentary aired in on ITV in 2016. During the programme, were finally able to get a look at Kate’s floor-length gown. The demure piece had a soft, romantic look. It featured a subtle sweetheart neckline under a delicate lace overlay bodice, and was finished with cap sleeves, an inset waist and a softly pleated full skirt.
Here’s a screenshot from the documentary:
Kate looks beautiful in everything she wear. Every color suits her so beautifully. I love her smile and is the whole beautiful package.
I loved getting to see the glimpse of the Duchess with the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara. However, why are not photos taken of the royal couple as when Princess Diana wore the tiara. I’m dying to see a photo of the lovely Duchess from head to toe in the beautiful tiara!