While Princess Kate had engaged in diplomacy in a Tolu Coker coat in the morning, in the evening, she upped the ante with a look that left nothing to chance.
Windsor Castle hosted the state dinner that King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted in honor of the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, and his wife, and Kate appeared in an emerald-green silk chiffon dress that, in itself, sent another message.
Green is the predominant color on Nigeria’s flag, and choosing it for the official evening event after wearing a dress by a Nigerian-born designer in the morning makes the entire day a carefully crafted diplomatic gesture.
What Kate Middleton’s dress looked like at the state dinner
The design features a Perkins collar and semi-sheer puff sleeves, which give the dress an ethereal look without being overdone. The draped bodice and flowing skirt create a silhouette that always works for Kate, because she knows exactly which pieces suit her.
It’s the kind of dress that, at a state dinner, offers everything you need: presence, elegance, and a touch of originality that complements the jewelry rather than competing with it.
Kate wore the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara
At state dinners in Windsor, protocol requires the wearing of a tiara, and once again, Kate chose the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, the diamond and pearl piece with 19 open arches and 38 teardrop-shaped pearls that for years was the emblem of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mary of Teck commissioned the piece from the Garrard jewelry house in 1913, drawing inspiration from a tiara that had belonged to her grandmother, Princess Augusta. Queen Elizabeth II gave the tiara to Princess Diana as a wedding gift in 1981, and although the Princess once said it gave her headaches because of its weight, she wore it on numerous occasions.
The jewelry that completed Kate’s look at the banquet and the orders she wore
Kate’s earrings were from the Royal Collection, specifically belonging to the Queen Mother, and featured large sapphires surrounded by diamonds and Art Deco-style dangling fringes. It is speculated that the stones come from a set that Mary of Teck gave to the Queen Mother on her wedding day, and that they remained unused until Kate brought them back into use in 2015.