Kate Middleton Wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara to the Oman State Banquet

2 min read

It has been several months since the British royal family last hosted a state banquet. On Tuesday evening, King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman to Windsor Castle for the first night of a three-day state visit, the first by an Omani sultan since Queen Elizabeth hosted Sultan Qaboos bin Said in March 1982. Kate Middleton arrived at the Windsor state apartments wearing her go-to headpiece: the Lover’s Knot Tiara. The Princess of Wales paired the sparkler with a flowing buttercup yellow Elie Saab gown.

AARON CHOWN//Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales seen arriving at the state banquet.

The diadem holds sentimental value for the Princess of Wales, as it was also once a favorite of Princess Diana’s. It also has a long royal history. Sometimes referred to as the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, the tiara is a replica of an earlier piece. The topper Kate is seen wearing was created for Queen Mary in 1914 by the House of Garrard. According to the Court Jeweller, when Queen Mary commissioned the piece, she “sacrificed a tiara from her own jewelry collection, the Ladies of England Tiara, to make it.” Mary modeled after her grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse’s headpiece—the original Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara—which is currently believed to be in an unknown private collection.

AARON CHOWN//Getty Images

A closer look at the Lover’s Knot Tiara.

Kate has worn this tiara on many occasions, as recently as the Nigerian state banquet in March with a flowing green gown by designer Andrew Gn. She also wore it with a red Givenchy grown at the French state banquet and an icy blue Alexander McQueen gown when hosting the Dutch royals, among many other ensembles. The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared a portrait before the arrival procession at Windsor.

The two royal families have longstanding ties. As Prince of Wales, King Charles visited Oman on four occasions, most recently in January 2020 to offer condolences following the death of Sultan Qaboos. Queen Camilla accompanied him on a two-day visit in November 2016. Last July, Charles received Sultan Haitham for tea and a private meeting at Windsor Castle during an informal trip to the United Kingdom.

Tuesday’s program included the ceremonial welcome on the castle’s East Terrace and a carriage procession, for which Kate dressed all in green, in a nod to one of the color’s on Oman’s flag. Her ensemble included a rewear of a dark green coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. Wednesday and Thursday will bring bilateral meetings between Sultan Haitham and senior British government officials, along with further engagements at Windsor. State visits of this kind are formally extended by the king but arranged at the request of the elected government and typically planned months in advance.

WPA Pool//Getty Images

Kate at Tuesday’s welcome ceremony.

The visit also carries significant diplomatic weight. Oman occupies a strategically critical position, controlling the southern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas flows. Britain’s decision to honor Sultan Haitham with a full state visit, the highest diplomatic welcome the monarchy can extend, signals the importance London places on its relationship with Muscat.

Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.