The Princess of Wales is back in a tiara! For her first state banquet since 2023, Her Royal Highness turned to her go-to headpiece, the Lover's Knot Tiara. Catherine looked every inch a future Queen Consort wearing the dazzling tiara with a dark red silk creponne gathered evening gown that featured a caped back detailing, designed by Sarah Burton—who also designed her wedding dress—for Givenchy.
The Princess finished off her regal look with earrings that belonged to Queen Elizabeth, along with the Rosette of Grand Officier l’ordre nationale du merité, the Royal Family Order of King Charles III, the Royal Family Order of Elizabeth II, the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and the GCVO sash and star.
Tuesday's state banquet for French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron marked the first time that Catherine has been publicly seen in a tiara since December 2023 at the Diplomatic Reception. The last state banquet that the Princess of Wales attended was in November of 2023 at Buckingham Palace during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s state visit to the UK. For the occasion, Catherine wore the Strathmore Rose Tiara for the first time. The Royal Watcher reported at the time that the tiara had not been publicly worn in almost 90 years.
Less than two months later, it was revealed that the Princess of Wales had undergone major abdominal surgery in January of 2024. Catherine then began a course of preventative chemotherapy in late February of 2024, and did not make her first official public appearance until Trooping the Colour that June. Catherine announced last September that she had completed her treatment, and shared this past January that she is now in remission.
Six days before her glittering tiara appearance at Windsor Castle, the Princess opened up about her post-treatment phase. "You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment's done, then it's like, 'I can crack on, get back to normal,' but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult," she shared, via PEOPLE.
"You're not necessarily under the clinical team any longer, but you're not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to," the Princess of Wales continued. "And actually, someone to help talk you through that, show you and guide you through that sort of phase that comes after treatment, I think is really valuable."
Catherine also noted that it "takes time" to "find your new normal," describing it as a "roller coaster, it's not smooth, like you expect it to be." She said, "But the reality is you go through hard times."
Ahead of the banquet on July 8, the Waleses' social media accounts shared a photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales, writing: "Ready for what promises to be a wonderful State Banquet this evening in Windsor 🇫🇷🇬🇧."
Earlier in the day, Prince William and Catherine, on behalf of the King, greeted the French president and his wife at RAF Northolt. The Princess exuded elegance dressed in a Christian Dior jacket and a tulle midi skirt from the French fashion house, which she accessorized with a three-strand pearl necklace, her late mother-in-law Princess Diana's earrings and a hat by British milliner Jess Collett.