The Princess of Wales does the ultimte royal flag dressing

No surprises that Kate turned up in blue for the State Banquet.
While
all eyes were on the tiara (a queen only diadem and let’s not
move past the symbolism of that too quickly), the dress did plenty
of talking, too. This was the third big state event of 2025 and the
Princess of Wales had a trio to complete. She’d given us all the
hints earlier in the year and as December dawned, she rounded
things off perfectly. We’d had red, then white (cream if you’re
being picky) and now it was time to fly the flag fully and add the
missing colour which was blue.

There’s no doubt that Kate’s three State Banquet looks this year
have been knock out. A trio of gowns literally made for a princess
and all of them as spectacular as the last. But, more than that,
there’s a message there and there’s no point in denying it. A very
careful colour selection has seen the queen in waiting make the
colours of the UK’s part of the images that will be used time and
again of her in this important year.

It all started in July with a stunning red dress with full
princess vibes. The gown was chosen for the French State Banquet
and so had a French link – it came from the famous House of
Givenchy. And it had a personal link for Kate as the head designer
at Givenchy is now Sarah Burton who was at Alexander McQueen when
she created the wedding dress worn by the Princess of Wales on
April 29 2011.

The red dress, which featured a dramatic cape effect, was worn
with the cream and white of the pearls and diamonds in Queen Mary’s
Lover’s Knot Tiara which is a go to for the Princess of Wales, as
it was for Diana, Princess of Wales. The Greville Chandelier
Earrings added another touch of diamond white. The Princess also
wore the bright blue sash of the Royal Victorian Order but it was
the red that remained the stand out colour.

In September, expectations were sky high for a glittering turn
out for a State Banquet that carried more weight than perhaps any
in recent memory. Donald Trump has made no secret of his huge
admiration for the Royal Family and kept singing their praises even
when he was telling every other government in the world, including
the UK’s, that he was sticking tariffs on just about everything and
wobbling their economic plans in the process. The State Visit, an
unprecedented second for an elected leader, was a massive moment.
The visits are meant to cement ties between nations. There was no
doubt those bonds needed bolstering and the Royal Family found
themselves front and centre of the adventure.

The Princess of Wales went full out
and won. She chose a cream coloured evening dress with gold
chantilly lace overlay by Philippa Lepley. The lace pooled into a
delicate court train and the material was covered in rose motifs. A
return run for the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara was expected and
Kate added a pair of diamond earrings that belonged to Queen
Elizabeth II. The blue Royal Victorian Order sash was back, too.
But this was golden and cream overall and two parts of the trio
were done.

December brought an unexpected third State Visit – usually, it’s
just a duo of leaders that get the royal glitter in any one year.
Germany’s President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was welcomed to
Windsor Castle for a three day visit which began with all the usual
pomp and ceremony and culminated in one of the most sparkling State
Banquets in recent years as King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted
in St. George’s Hall beneath a giant Christmas tree.

We were waiting for blue from the Princess of Wales and she
didn’t disappoint. For her third State Banquet of 2025, Kate went
for a periwinkle blue gown by Jenny Packham. The fitted, full
length dress is covered in sequins and features another sheer cape,
this time with an even longer court train at the back. It was full
on royal in every sense of the world. Just to underline that, the
Princess of Wales wore the Oriental Circlet Tiara, created by
Albert for Victoria, and until now, only ever worn by queens. It is
covered in diamonds and rubies, just to fully underline that
quietly woven long game of a flag dressing 2025 that the Princess
of Wales has had.

There is one more, rather lovely thing about seeing the three
images side by side and that’s the story they tell of a woman
recovering from illness and the happiness of a husband in seeing
the wife he loves get better once more. In the first image, from
July, there is still a hint of getting back in the swing,
especially on William’s face. In September, they’re both looking
much more relaxed and, dare we add, glowing in it all. By the end
of the year, they’ve clearly adapted a whole new attitude and, it
has to be noted, now look every inch a king and queen to be.

It’s perhaps why Kate and, more importantly King Charles,
decided that a queen’s tiara would be worn by a princess. The last
few months have seen a real shift of focus to the Prince and
Princess of Wales. William is now very much an heir as active as
his father ever was in his long tenure as first in line to the
throne while the Princess has taken on some of the most high
profile royal appearances of recent months. The move is subtle but
now cemented. And this future queen is walking into 2025 with a nod
to her country and a brand new role in the institution crowned for
all to see.