Kate Middleton is bejeweled in a historic piece of headwear!
On Tuesday evening, the Princess of Wales joined her husband, Prince William, King Charles III, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family for the state banquet in honor of the President of the Republic of Korea and his wife at Buckingham Palace.
For the white tie affair, the 41-year-old royal debuted the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose Tiara. Kate is only the second person to wear the piece of elegant headwear, which has not been seen in public for decades.
While it was a big part of her attire, the topper was the perfect complement to Kate’s floor-length white dress by Jenny Packham. The ensemble featured gold embellishments and structured shoulders. Kate continued to honor Queen Elizabeth II, as she wore a pair of her earrings.
The Court Jeweler reports that the tiara was named for the Queen Mother’s father, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It was a wedding gift, presented to her when she married Queen Elizabeth’s father, Prince Albert (the future King George VI).
While delicate, the floral tiara contains larger flowers, and can be worn on top of the head, or around the bottom of the forehead — which was the Queen Mother’s preference. It’s also versatile, as it can be disassembled, and wore in pieces as a broach.
Kate is only the second person to wear the tiara in public — after the Queen Mother.
The Strathmore Rose Tiara is the fourth tiara Kate has worn since her time as a royal. In 2011, on her wedding day, Kate wore the Cartier Halo tiara. Two years later, in 2013, she debuted the Lotus Flower Tiara — which she wore again in 2015 and 2022.
However, her go-to is the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which has become her signature.
Prior to the banquet, Kate debuted another piece of extravagant headwear. During the welcome engagements for the South Korean president, Kate wore a new red wide-brimmed red wool hat by Jane Taylor, which she paired with an all-red look by Catherine Walker & Co.
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