The state banquet was held as part of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s three-day visit to the UK with First Lady Kim Keon Hee in November.
As with many events of this scale, the royals dip into the archives to showcase historic pieces – so perhaps it’s no surprise that Kate chose a stunning tiara that hadn’t been seen in over half a century.
Kate chose to wear the Strathmore Rose tiara for the first time, a beautiful piece that hadn’t been seen since Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wore it back in the 1930s.
The all-diamond tiara was owned by the Queen Mother – a gift she received from the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne – and Kate is only the second person in history to wear the piece in public, other than the Queen Mother.
The tiara is the fourth that Kate has worn since becoming the Princess of Wales, and a royal jewellery expert says the choice shows Kate’s connection with the Queen Mother – who had a very special relationship with King Charles.
Lauren Kiehna, a Royal jewellery expert, shared with People: “Kate has always signalled that she’d like to emulate the Queen Mother’s royal role and wearing her jewels is an important symbol of that continuity.
“It’s fitting that Kate – likely with some assistance from King Charles – would choose to wear the tiara exactly a hundred years after the Queen Mother originally received it.”
The tiara can be worn in two ways, either across the forehead or on top of the head – Kate chose to go with the latter.
The Princess of Wales looked radiant at the banquet, wearing the tiara with a stunning white dress from Jenny Packman, coupled with earrings once owned by Queen Elizabeth II and wore the Queen’s Royal Family Order, in a nod to the late monarch.
King Charles would have certainly approved of Kate’s tiara choice, as the monarch is known to have shared a very close and special relationship with the Queen Mother, who often looked after him while Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were on official duties. The Queen Mother died in 2002 at the age of 101.
