The Glamorous Kate met the Chic Letizia, Queen of Spain last night at Buckingham Palace at  a State Banquet in honor of the King and the Queen of Spain.
Queen Letizia look amazing on her red gown with her fleur de keys Tiara but The Duchess of Cambridge was stunning as always in her Marchesa gown and the Lover’s Knot tiara, the favourite tiara of her mother’s in law,  Princess Diana.

Last night’s looks, worn for the state banquet in honour of Spain’s king and queen, couldn’t have been more different.

and the Duchess of Cambridge, the Lover’s Knot tiara, a diamond and pearl design, which was once owned by Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Legendary Cambridge Lover’s Knot  tiara , was commissioned from Garrard in 1913/1914 by everyone’s favorite magpie, Queen Mary. She modeled it off of a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Duchess of Cambridge. It wasn’t a unique design to begin with; several others exist that are quite similar. The piece passed from Princess Augusta to her daughter (also named Augusta), who became Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Swinging pearls hang from 19 diamond arches capped with lover’s knots in this tiara. The piece was composed of existing jewels Queen Mary had in her collection: the dismantled Some Ladies of England Tiara plus the original pearl uprights from the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and pearls off of a couple brooches belonging to Mary which were ultimately returned. Originally, the design included upright pearls on top of the arches, but Mary had them removed eventually.

Tiara: Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara;
Necklace: Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau;
Earrings: Diamond and Pearl Earrings

The Queen loaned the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara to Diana, Princess of Wales as a wedding present in 1981. Kate first wore it at the 2015 Diplomatic Reception.
The diamond and pearl earrings the Duchess wore were a wedding gift from Collingwood Jewellers to Diana and they are part of Diana’s private collection.
The Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace was one of the Queen’s wedding gifts from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; the Queen has not worn the piece since the early 1980s

But, while the Duchess’s regalia stopped at a diamond and ruby necklace, which once belonged to the Queen Mother, Queen Letizia attached a traditional blue-and-white sash to her gown, complete with badges of honour.

As the Duchess let her guest take centre stage in a heavily-beaded, off-the-shoulder burgundy gown by Spanish brand Loewe, she showcased one of her most transformative formal looks to date.

Her plunging Marchesa gown in muted, scalloped guipure lace and tulle was a departure from the conservative necklines she usually favours for evening events, and all the more striking thanks to the ruby boucheron bandeau that trailed down her décolletage.

The Duchess, and stylist Natasha Archer, instigated a relationship with the brand earlier this year, when she wore a full-skirted red Marchesa Notte (the brand’s concession line) to London’s opening night of 42nd Street. Last night’s custom-made design aligned with the brand’s bridal looks, for which they are highly regarded.

As the Duchess took the opportunity to add a new designer to her catalogue of trusted formalwear brands, Queen Letizia played the diplomatic card in Loewe, which is currently headed up by Ireland’s award-winning J.W. Anderson. If the banquet was a sign of the Duchess throwing out the rulebook and instigating a healthy dose of competitive state dressing, it will be interesting to see how the royal visit unfolds for the final two days. Bring it on.

source : British Vogue

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