Even after more than a year of living with her new title as the Princess of Wales, it's not every day that Kate Middleton gets to don a tiara — not that she'd want to wear one every day, because they can get pretty heavy! But when she does attend an event that requires one, she always makes it count. On Tuesday, Kate wore the Strathmore Rose tiara to a banquet at Buckingham Palace, marking the first time that this particular diamond-covered tiara has been worn since the 1930s.
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The palace has had some special visitors this week.
Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk Yeo and first lady Kim Keon Hee have been in the United Kingdom for a state visit, spending plenty of time with Kate and Prince William.
And as is tradition with most state visits with presidents, dignitaries, and other public figures, Will and Kate also helped host a fancy banquet in their honor.
The banquet was held at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night.
According to People, senior members of the royal family were present to greet the president and the first lady, including King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with 170 guests. That's a pretty big dinner party.
Kate went all out for the event, wearing a white Jenny Packham gown paired with earrings that once belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth, along with a tiara that hasn't seen the light of day in nearly a century.
Kate wore the Strathmore Rose tiara.
As People pointed out, The Court Jeweller reported that the Strathmore Rose tiara was originally a wedding gift to the Queen Mother (long before she was actually the Queen Mother, of course) from her parents in 1923, which they purchased from Catchpole & Williams. It was originally made in the 19th century, and comes with a pretty cool feature: the flowers on the tiara can be removed and worn as brooches. The tiara itself was originally worn lower on the forehead, similar to a flower crown.
The Queen Mother was the last person to wear the tiara.
She was also the only other person to wear this tiara, making this a truly special moment for Kate. As royal expert Lauren Kiehna told People, many believe Kate is hoping to be more like the Queen Mother herself when it's her turn to help William rule.
"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," Kiehna said. "The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again."
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It looks like the state banquet was a success.
Judging by the footage the royal family has shared on their official Instagram account so far, it looks like those 170 guests who were in attendance were truly lucky to be there.
Usually, royals only wear their tiaras at events that begin in the evening — after 5 p.m., to be specific — so it could be a while before we see Kate wearing jewels on her head again. Still, it will be interesting to see what her next pick will be.
