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Queen Camilla chose a striking outfit for a White House State Dinner this evening, complete with a glittering royal heirloom necklace. However, there was one piece of jewelry missing that royal watchers may have been looking out for—a tiara.
Camilla did not wear a tiara tonight, in a move that is a departure from Queen Elizabeth’s choice of dress for her four State Visits to the U.S. There was no explanation offered from Buckingham Palace about the reason for this choice. However, if Camilla had chosen to wear one, unlike at UK State Banquets where all the senior royals wear tiara, she would likely have been the only person there tonight in a tiara.
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Queen Camilla and King Charles ahead of the dinner.
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The royal couple inside the White House.
When Queen Elizabeth made the last State Visit by a British monarch to the U.S in 2007, she wore her favored Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara for a White House dinner in her honor. In 1991 she wore a sapphire Tiara often referred to as the Belgian Sapphire Tiara, in 1976 she wore a Kokoshnik tiara once owned by Queen Alexandra, and in 1957, she wore the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.
Queen Elizabeth’s White House Tiaras:
2007
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1991
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1976
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1957
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While Queen Elizabeth always wore a tiara to White House state dinners, it is worth remembering that while Camilla is also a Queen, her position is different. Camilla is not a sovereign Queen; her husband King Charles is the one who is head of state.
On her arrival in to the U.S. on Monday, Camilla used a piece of her jewelry to pay tribute to her hosts, in a move that is often described as “diplomatic dressing” she chose a Cartier brooch with the Union flag and Stars and Stripes on it which was given to Queen Elizabeth on her 1957 State Visit.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.