Kate Middleton attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night with her husband Prince William while his brother Prince Harry and pregnant wife Meghan Markle are on a tour of Australia.
The 36-year-old royal certainly looked the part for the opulent event, teaming her elegant gown with her favourite tiara.Kate, who is mother to Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, three, and Prince Louis, six months, donned Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara - a piece of jewellery worn regularly by her mother-in-law Princess Diana.
The Lover’s Knot Tiara, which is often confused with the similarly named Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, was given to Prince William’s mother, by the Queen when she married Prince Charles in 1981
“This was a favourite piece of the late Princess Diana which of course adds to the overall value. I would expect to see this fetch in the region of £5-10 million at auction”.
Prince William’s wife also wore the Queen's Royal Family Order at the state banquet for the very first time.
Worn on her left shoulder, the yellow silk bow featuring a picture of a young Queen Elizabeth II is an honour bestowed on female members of the royal family. The insignia is often worn on formal occasions such as this.
The Duchess finished off her royal attire with a magnificent necklace featuring 8 pearls surrounded by diamonds from Queen Alexandria’s wedding parure.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, often wore this fine piece of jewellery - she was pictured wearing it on the wedding day of her daughter Princess Margaret in 1960. Read more from EXPRESS.