Kate Middleton Is the Ultimate Royal Recycler in Princess Diana’s Favorite Tiara and Blush-Colored Gown at Reception
Kate Middleton continues to be the ultimate royal fashion recycler by wearing the exact same look during a Buckingham Palace white-tie event. The Princess of Wales paired the Lovers Knot Tiara with a blush-colored gown at the Buckingham Palace Diplomatic Reception as she stood alongside her husband, Prince William, at the royal event. She previously wore this exact outfit in the summer of 2023.
Kate Middleton’s recycled look includes Princess Diana’s favorite tiara
The Princess of Wales joined her husband, Prince William, King Charles, and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening for the royal family’s annual Diplomatic Reception. The event welcomes hundreds of members of the Diplomatic Corps to the royal residence.
This is the second time Kate has worn this complete look this year. It is a replica of the outfit she wore in the summer for the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa.
The Princess of Wales donned a glittering rose gown by Jenny Packham for the evening dinner. In addition, Kate donned several essential accessories befitting her royal family status as Princess of Wales.
First, she wore the royal family Order of Queen Elizabeth II. The order is an oval portrait of the late queen surrounded by diamonds pinned to a yellow silk ribbon.
She also added the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. It is an eight-pointed star with the cipher of Queen Victoria on an enamel cross at its center, pinned to her left hip. It was attached to the Royal Victoria Order Sash.
Kate accessorized with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which she has worn a dozen times thus far. It’s the royal headpiece made famous by Princess Diana.
The Queen Mary’s Lovers Knot Tiara is more than a century old
According to the Court Jeweller, the stunning sparkler is over a century old and was originally commissioned from the jeweler Garrard by Queen Mary in either 1913 or 1914. It is a replica of a tiara owned by Mary’s grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Duchess of Cambridge.
In 1981, the Queen loaned the Lover’s Knot Tiara to Princess Diana as a wedding gift. Diana opted instead to wear the Spencer Tiara, a family heirloom, on her big day, but the Lover’s Knot became one of her favorite pieces despite being so heavy that it hurt her head.
The Princess of Wales wore the same Greville Chandelier earrings as in June. Queen Elizabeth received the earrings as a wedding present from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, when she married Prince Philip in 1947, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
Kate Middleton keeps 3 tiaras in regular rotation for royal family black-tie events
Wearing tiaras is reportedly tied to the dress code of the event as well as personal preference. Royal protocol dictates women are not allowed to wear them until their wedding day. After that, they can wear one to any white tie event. Women born as princesses can also use the item.
Therefore, the first time Kate Middleton wore a tiara was at her 2011 wedding to Prince William. For her nuptials, Kate donned the Cartier Halo design.
She has also added to her regular rotation of royal looks the Lotus Flower Tiara, one of Princess Margaret’s favorites, and Princess Diana’s favorite, the Queen Mary Lovers Knot.
When Princess Diana’s divorce from then-Prince Charles was made official in 1996, the tiara was returned to Queen Elizabeth. It was placed in the Tower of London for safekeeping, along with other royal jewels.
Kate first wore the tiara at a diplomatic reception in December 2015. It was the first time the sparkler had been worn by a royal family member since Princess Diana’s 1997 death.
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