Here are some photos from last night’s state banquet at Windsor Castle. Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Budenbender are spending three days in the UK for a state visit, the first German state visit to the UK in almost three decades. Crazy that the last time the Windsors received a German head of state was in the 1990s. This is the third state visit to be hosted at Windsor Castle this year, and this time, they changed the camera positions so that photographers would get shots of the Christmas tree. Meghan’s impact! (LMAO.)
As you can see, it was not a great night for Kitty, aka the Princess of Wales. Her straight-hair wig almost slid off her head at one point. The Jenny Packham gown was new-to-us, and the only nice thing I can say about it is that I’m grateful she didn’t flag-dress for this state visit. The dress is just hanging on her extremely slender frame. Kate also got to borrow a rarely-seen tiara for the banquet – this is Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara, and I kind of wonder if this piece was in storage because of the name. She also borrowed some diamond earrings from the royal collection.
As for Queen Camilla, she wore a teal Fiona Clare gown which made her look like a discarded sofa from the 1980s. She paired the gown with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which was one of QEII’s favorite pieces and one which she wore often. I always wince when I see Camilla wearing it, honestly. Camilla had the tiara yanked out of an exhibition at The King’s Gallery last month, so people knew that Cam would wear it. I don’t have an ID on Frau Budenbender’s gown, but she was the chicest one at the banquet.
The Windsor men did not have a good night, btw. William looked like he had to be forced at gunpoint to wear that Windsor-uniform dress jacket, and Charles just looks like he feels like ten kinds of hell. Does his back hurt? He’s certainly standing like his back is killing him.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Kensington Palace.
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- 03/12/2025. Windsor, UK. His Majesty, accompanied by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, gave a State Banquet at Windsor Castle for The President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Ms. Büdenbender. The King and The Federal President both delivered speeches at the beginning of the banquet.,Image: 1056321829, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (front) the Prince and Princess of Wales ahead the state banquet for the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their state visit to the UK. Picture date: Wednesday December 3, 2025.,Image: 1056321830, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- 03/12/2025. Windsor, UK. His Majesty, accompanied by The Queen and Members of the Royal Family, gave a State Banquet at Windsor Castle for The President of the Federal Republic of Germany and Ms. Büdenbender. The King and The Federal President both delivered speeches at the beginning of the banquet.,Image: 1056321838, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image is free for use but may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever. All rights reserved., Model Release: no, Credit line: Pete Maclaine/Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla (right) with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender ahead of the state banquet for the German President and his wife, at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their state visit to the UK. Picture date: Wednesday December 3, 2025.,Image: 1056321908, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III (2R) and his wife Britain’s Queen Camilla (R) walk with Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (C) and his wife Elke Buedenbender as they arrive to attend a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322127, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III (2R) and his wife Britain’s Queen Camilla (R) walk with Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (C) and his wife Elke Buedenbender as they arrive to attend a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322176, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive to attend a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322236, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
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- Britain’s King Charles III, Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales toast their glasses after the King delivered a speech during a State Banquet at Windsor Castle in Windsor, on December 3, 2025, the first day of a three day state visit by the German President. President Frank-Walter Steinmeier received a ceremonial welcome to Britain Wednesday as his state visit got into full swing — the first by Germany’s official head of state in 27 years.,Image: 1056322311, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: CARLOS JASSO/Avalon
I thought I was the only one who thought that gown was off and didn’t fit her skeletal frame right. The tiara seemed too large for her head and the wig did nothing to help keep it in place. There are pictures of Peg looking like he was wishing he was anywhere but with her and the whole event. I am very surprised she didn’t wear red, gold and black in some way.
I wonder if the Daily Mail will write an article about how expensive Kate’s outfit and jewelry are (with a price tag), and how unrelatable she is? Oh wait…that commentary is only reserved for Meghan. Got it!
Exactly!!
Spot on assessment of the look.
I’d add to the fact that the tiara wasn’t put on straight; it was “off-center” on her head. I kept waiting for the vid showing it slipping off into the food lol Shouldn’t it also be more “forward” on her head rather than on the back end of her head?
The dress is terrible, looks like a sack on her. And Scoots looks like he *has* the scoots and can’t wait to find a bathroom.
Yeah. Realized the tiara wasn’t on straight and that was distracting and messed up her look. But that dress was awful and hung on her and I’m sick of seeing her with that hair down.
I wonder why she didn’t wear her QEII ribbon. All the other royal women did.
In that 6th photo, where she’s turning to toast the fellow to her right, you can clearly see it’s about to tip right off her head! Yikes!
All I can say about the dress is it’s a pretty color. And I love that giant tiara on her head, but she shouldn’t be allowed to wear it again as it’s clear she’d let it drop right onto the floor.
She seems to be wearing less hair? Maybe for the huge crown?
That sequined gown is horrible. It’s too busy and glittery, and everything seems to be hanging and weighing Kate down, the gown, the cape, hair and that way too big tiara. Why can’t she have a nice updo instead of just plopping that massive tiara on the top her head? It’d have saved a lot. Camilla’s dress looks very heavy and the material is dated.
That sequined dress looks like she wanted her Elsa princess party..
LOL, its not quite the right color blue for Elsa, at least on my computer? I actually like this color on her – more periwinkle from what I can see – and its refreshing to see her in something that isn’t white or red or royal blue for a state dinner. And yes, the sequins and cape are extra, but if you are going to go extra, this is the occasion to do it. That being said, the cape was utilized to help mask for skeletal she is these days, and the dress is not as form fitting as that last one she wore that made her look like a corpse.
Or she could have the skirt made to detach and then go ice dancing later!
It’s all TOO MUCH.
Yes! I had the same thought, that brooch/order on the side of that neckline looks like it’s pulling the whole dress down and off her. Really poor accessorizing. I did like the color of the dress, but nothing else about it worked.
I think they both look nice but I guess it’s all subjective.
Kate’s photos look photoshopped to me however she looks pleased to be there. Unlike William. What terrible manners he has to treat his guests this way.
I think she looked pretty great. That color suits her, and the tiara is beautiful
Frugal Kate rewearing her Frozen Elsa Halloween costume she bought at the Limited Too for the state banquet. Everything looks like it’s about to slide off her, including the tiara and the wig.
She’s wearing a circlet, not a tiara. A circlet is like a mini crown and there is less opportunity to anchor it like a tiara. Whoever thought to putting a heavy crown on a nylon wig was a good idea should be fired.
Even though its a big tiara, i don’t think it was the best choice for Kate. She just can’t pull off the big gun tiaras like that (and its generally not my favorite.) It was fun to see something new but that’s about it. It doesn’t work at all with her hair down like that.
the dress is fine IMO – pretty typical Packham for this kind of event – but I do think it was picked with the goal of hiding Kate’s frame.
Two things:
1) are they the only ones who release that prom-esque photo before these events? It just puts more focus on them and less on the events.
2) why is their presence not announced beforehand? It wasn’t for the French dinner, and if it was for the US dinner then it was just by a few hours. The other royals are discussed in the press as attending beforehand, those two never are. Is it because they think keeping it a surprise adds more weight to their appearance or something?
Also I admit I do find it a little weird when the British royals wear tiaras at an event where the guests are not wearing tiaras. It feels like a power move to me.
Why isn’t their presence announced beforehand? Right? I almost wonder if it was decided at the last minute and Kate was given that tiara at the last minute and maybe that’s why it’s so poorly placed on her head. Bc I cannot imagine having time to plan for this event and then choosing to sit the tiara on the head like that. Do the wales decide to go or is it demanded that they go? It’s weird.
The seating chart and procession are planned well in advance. I think they like the “surprise” factor.
1) yes, and only within the last few years.
2) it’s that but also so they can back out at will.
Yeah, their prom-style photos only date to their obtaining the POW titles. And totally agree with your second point–it’s easier to back out if you don’t confirm in the first place.
There are a few photos where the tiara is sitting crooked on her head. It needed to be pinned to an updo. And still it may have been too big for her head.
She looks like the pageant queen who just got the tiara roughly placed on her head after winning the pageant.
Also the style of a cape over shoulder pads to give her bulk is the same look we have seen in other colours. None of it is fresh or youthful b
2. Is it because these days he’s so emotionally volatile that they don’t know what state he’ll be in by the evening that he might not be in a fit state to show up?
She clearly has a ton of stuff going on but I still have questions about what he was going through last year under the cover of her illness.
That’s kind of what I’m wondering….is it about her or about him? Because they dont announce his attendance beforehand either. And as the future head of state, his attendance at these events should never be in doubt unless he has another event he can’t get out of or is out of the country for work.
I think that they are not announced until the last minute because of the whole good day/bad day thing. I just don’t think that has anything to do with Kate’s physical health. It would be supremely embarrassing to announce their attendance at the state dinner for them to no show, rather than a charity visit. And they’re making it no secret that William’s moods are mercurial to put it lightly.
So I think that they just play it by ear the day before and that day. Have a dress or outfit ready for them, have a tiara on standby, and then that morning if they haven’t had a huge blow up and William is feeling like doing it, then they attend.
I agree, and it’s not whether she’s having the good or bad day. It’s about him.
I don’t find the tiaras to be a power move at all. If you look at the three of them, the first lady is cleary the power in the room. Cami and kate look ridiculous in their costumes — the tiaras and sashes make clear that the two of them are for decorative purposes only. If you need the costume to exude power, you have no power.
I just think in general it strikes me as weird, not just at this particular dinner. I get when its a gathering of royals but with an elected head of state it just always seems a little off to me, IDK.
Kate and Camilla have EYES, yes? These dresses are not good and they have endless resources. You really can’t buy taste.
You have to realise that THIS is typical “English women” fashion. Even as a child, I used to hear my relatives point out and giggle at the British (= English) travellers (women) who had terrible taste in dress yet thought that they were the bees knees. Once you understand this, you will understand why so many British “royal fans” think that Kate is a fashion plate, even when she is wearing those hideous Erdem curtains. Then they see someone like Meghan and realise what TRUE fashion and poise look like and their brains sort of seize up, then they collectively decide to double down and proclaim Kate as the “winner” in all things fashion. To do otherwise would be to admit that they themselves have no taste whatsoever. That’s why they praise Kate’s copykeening as original, or get upset when she copies Meghan: because this means that even KATE seens Meghan as the true style queen.
Long standing rule of British Aristocracy. Anybody who looks too good or too fashionable is social climbing nouveau riche and should not be trusted.
A true aristocrat will always deliberately leave something askew, like wearing something completely out of date, or not combing ones hair, or not brushing their teeth, to show how little they care or even need to.
@ Preston
Yep. And this explains a lot of Camilla’s and Princess Anne’s behaviors/fashions.
It’s always funny to see the other European in their version of British Frump when they visit England. Also this aristiocratic pretence of not caring is post wwi maybe even post wwii when it became clear the aristocrats were no longer setting fashion trends
We all know these people who have this xenophobic ideas about how women of other countries dress, as you say … “typical English women fashion” have an agenda.
At the least in Europe nobody’s talking about Kate serving the “fashion plate”. She does her stuff, dress as she thinks works for her on her functions. Be it French designers like Givenchy and Dior for Macron and Brigitte, German Talbot Runhof before German state banquet, good old country BCBG, or a red dress with giant slit or a sparkling dress.
But to say that “Then they see someone like Meghan and realise what TRUE fashion and poise look like and their brains sort of seize up” is truly a stretch.
None of them are serving true fashion. And that’s ok.
Diana was English and while she wore dowdy stuff at first, she was fashionable by the late 80s.
Kate will never be like her mother in law despite the media lying that she is. Her taste is what Carole Middleton thinks is stylish and we can see the results.
Nice dress, nice tiara, but the best outcome depends on who styles them. #Abolish_her_wig.
The colour of the dress seems to me as wild yonder blue. It is a remote distant colour, the artistic usage is something soft, peaceful and calm. But prussian blue is very much dense and richer often used in its darkest shade.
it is surprising that this yonder blue name became famous because U.S Air force song. May be she is still in that trump nostalgia state visit. And this is 100% not prussian blue.
Oh dear. Charles looks terrible. And I don’t say that in a cruel way. His posture reminds me of Queen Elizabeth in her later years and he looks really pale.
Kate‘s tiara looks like it’s falling off in that photo where she’s looking to the side and talking to someone next to her.
What’s also really sad is when you think the previous state banquets when the queen was alive, even though she came to the throne young, and even though she didn’t have a formal education, you knew that she took it upon herself to learn about the countries and their issues. Because of that she would be able to make interesting relevant conversation. I can’t imagine Kate or William having anything interesting to say or anyone taking their advice on anything.
‘Ooh Germany our children love Hamburgers and Frankfurters esp. Louis!’?
@Inge, LOL!
@inge – spot on and thanks for the chuckle!
Yeah, it looks like his spine is deteriorating–his head is now jutting forward. The chemo is getting to him, I’m sure. Chemo and age.
That was Queen Mary’s tutelage. She once was horrified that her son Henry was to visit Poland and hadn’t done any research. She dumped a bunch of books and papers on him on everything from the history to the culture to the politics. As a young woman she used to attend parliamentary hearings and read “blue books” put together on issues. When she toured new housing in London she gave recommendations like putting in more cabinets and closets. When she went somewhere or talked to someone she knew what she was talking about.
Sigh. Where to begin:
–the dress was huge-skirted and pleated and all kinds of different shades of blue, not even an Elsa ice blue but some horrible mauve violet blue…Plus a cape! And sequins! And all those medals! Plus a sash! The only thing missing in the ensemble was tinsel. Way too much going on here. Even the Christmas tree in the corner was all “Coco Chanel tells you to take one thing off before leaving the house…You’re more decorated than I am, honey.”
–And now the Oriental Circlet crown, because Circlet means it’s not a tiara, by definition. It is a great headpiece, a true big gun when worn correctly (see the Queen Mum). But this was not worn correctly: you don’t wear it with long hair that’s not in an updo, you don’t wear it with long STRAIGHT hair going all the way down to your waist like Princess Barbie, and you don’t wear something that blingy and huge when you are ALSO wearing a hot mess of a gown. Also, the Oriental Circlet has ruby stones….which go with a mauve violet blue dress how?
–and finally whomever plopped it on Kate’s head did her dirty, because especially the DM pics show that at no time was it sitting on her head correctly and it nearly slid off a few times. It is way too big for her, especially with an ironed-flat hairdo giving Gwyneth Paltrow’s cousin working at the wine bar down the road circa 1998
Even the Christmas tree in the corner being less decorated! LOL
Everything you said 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Yes, I think that’s where the updo is needed. The updo provides the foundation for anchoring that into place – which was lacking with her hair worn loose and straight. And that updo helps divide attention – the eyes go to the head and then can focus on the gown.
This set up did her no favors.
There is a photo in the DM of the back of Kate’s head. Her hair is not as straight as it was earlier in the day. The ends of the circlet tiara seemed to be looped into her hair at the back. Nevertheless the shape of that tiara did not go with that long flowing hair and it cheapened the whole look. It screamed tacky “beauty queen”. She should have worn her hair in an elegant up-do.
LOL!!! 👑
In their official photo, kkkate is photoshopped to oblivion and willie looks so profoundly sad that i would feel sorry for him if i did not know who he was. and I think that crown is pulling down kkkate’s wig.
I am struck by how much more elegant and powerful First Lady Elke Budenbender looks . With the ridiculous crowns and sashes and clownish hair, cam and kate look like they are covered in cheap decorations yanked from the tree.
Yes, the First Lady looks lovely and elegant and by far the best dressed of the evening (Claudia Schiffer was in a league of her own).
Unfortunate placement of her order it looks like its so heavy that it pulls down the dress
(I already think its quite fugly looking with that white thing behind it)
I think those decorations on bits of cloth look awful, in fact, most of their dresses would look better without any of them. I too think she should put her hair up for evening events, and the tiara is too big.
The other royal ladies were wearing their Charles and Liz decorations, but Kate had only Charles’s. Wonder why. Charles is light blue and Liz’s is chartreuse.
If she is wearing a wig, I wonder if that’s why she doesn’t wear it up since it would be even more obvious?
It’s just strange how she only wears it down now.
The order protocol for this event is unusual… at most state occasions the women wear their orders from all monarchs, past and present, but this event Camilla and Kate only wore Charles’s (and not QE2’s), which can’t be accidental.
I noticed that too.
Is it just me or is the tiara sitting lopsided high on her head? Am no expert in royal fashion things… According to German tabloids Elke Büdenbenders velvet robe is a Talbot Runhof gown. Straight, elegant, unfussy – an absolut fit for our straight, elegant, unfussy First Lady.
She was far and away the best dressed and stood out as such in the photos
The neckline of Kate’s gown is unfortunate, it makes it look as if her family order is too heavy and pulled it down/ripped it. Kate looks so much prettier with an updo, I don’t know why she is so resistant to it. I wish I could see that tiara with its original opals.
It’s not super high resolution but Victoria was painted wearing it
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick%2C_1854.png
Well, that’s a lot of sparkle. Kate got to wear a new crown! And it looked huge on her head. I don’t how that tiara could have been made to sit better? The blue dress is sparkly and pretty and yet the whole overall effect is not super wowing me.
The German president’s wife is wearing a dress made by the designers who also made Kate’s Royal Variety gown. She was the best dressed last night. I didn’t like Kate’s outfit. Cape dresses seem the only style that she wears now which is boring and the tiara was too big. It looked like it was sliding off her head.
I really liked that Royal Variety gown. Best thing she has worn for some time.
I think she wears cape dresses a lot because when she wears a dress that exposes her arms, like that recent green velvet dress, it’s way too obvious that she has actually achieved a negative level of body fat.
Also the capes help disguise how incredibly thin her waist is, as do the heavy sequined fabrics, which add a bit of girth.
I really hope she’s getting some treatment for whatever is going on with her, but I doubt she is, sadly. She’s not a good person but no one deserves to slowly waste away while pretending that their life is fabulous.
Cape dresses add volume where there is none, so I expect this to be Kate’s preferred silhouette from now on, whether it’s fashionable or not.
The keen gown is all sparkly. And a bit much. Its the same sparkly fabric that liberace would have worn. That long wig is a a bad look. And the tiara was ill fitting. Scooter looked miserable
When used to describe things, ‘oriental’ is perfectly acceptable. I’m not a fan of the fabric of Kate’s gown but I think Will pulls off the regal look.
And heaven knows the BRF are not the least bit sensitive to such things. I mean, part of their usual state visit itinerary includes a viewing of all the stuff the British stole from their visitors’ country.
I’m so confused about the tiara. Was it deliberately fitted crooked, a lot Katie Percy, supposedly to be all jaunty? It is visibly crooked at points, right? That wasn’t just because it’s a circlet? If she (very abruptly) doesn’t want to wear the elaborate up do pieces then she needs to select a less elaborate tiara.
Oh dear, this is one of the worst tiara placements I’ve seen for a while. It really needs an up-do to anchor it, as well as to show the jewels off to their best effect – it’s such an open design that it kind of vanishes. There’s nothing like a skew-whiff tiara to make it look like you’ve overindulged during the toasts!
The oriental circlet is one of the pieces that Queen Victoria designated an heirloom of the Crown, rather than it being personal property. It was designed for her by Prince Albert (so there’s a German connection which is likely why it appeared tonight).
The Queen Mother wore it a lot, and the late Queen wore it once back in 2005, but it’s not been seen since. HM seemed to prefer more solid pieces. I’m kind of surprised Camilla hasn’t worn this one since she wears most of the QM’s tiaras well, but maybe it doesn’t fit comfortably.
For tiara fans, the Duchess of Gloucester (who has a better selection of than some entire royal families, as her mother inherited a lot of Queen Mary’s) was wearing her Cartier Indian tiara (inherited from her husband’s godmother, Princess Marie-Louise aka Cousin Louis), which had been on show at the V&A Cartier exhibition until a couple of weeks ago. It was definitely one of the most interesting pieces there, a solid wall of diamonds, pearls and sapphires. Would definitely have been my choice to take home if given the option!
oooh thank you, I couldn’t get a really good look at the Duchess’ tiara, thanks for identifying it 👍 It is stunning and her hair was perfect for it. And yes, the Gloucester family’s tiara collection is swoon-worthy!
The Duchess of Gloucester tends to outshine all the women all of the time. She doesn’t look dowdy nor does she look like an underfed Texas pageant queen.
Even though she has never been covered much by the media she does her engagements and the state dinners without clowning it up.
She does have access to better tiaras but she also knows how to properly wear them.
Yeah, they just keep on doing their thing – they seem very quiet and happy to fly below the radar.
He wasn’t originally the heir. Six weeks after they got married – in the village church near the Gloucester family home rather than Windsor or London – his elder brother William (who was VERY dashing) died when the small plane he was flying crashed. Richard had trained to be an architect, Birgitte was working as a secretary, and suddenly they were next in line. His dad died not long after and they became Duke & Duchess.
They moved out of the family home in the 90s and rented it out, and eventually sold up a few years ago due to running costs. They downsized to a smaller apartment at Kensington palace as well. Their kids all had fairly low key weddings, and you never hear about them in the news(I think their daughter in law, the future duchess, is a professor of paediatrics at one of the London teaching hospitals). By comparison with the Yorks and Kents etc they are very unscadalous!! Considering this isn’t remotely the life they expected to be leading they’ve made a very good job of it.
Her tiara looks like it is not on straight and Wills looks like he is marching to his death,
The tiara is sliding off and askew like Jughead at one point. I don’t think that that’s a tiara that you can wear without slightly puffy hair like the queen had where it can rest in the hair? I’m not sure why she’s obsessed with super long hair, but this tiara just ends up looking like a little girl playing dress up with it not secured, and the weight it is making the fact that she’s wearing pieces more obvious because it’s pulling it back.
It’s so weird that, despite her insistence on wearing falls or toppers on a daily basis, she doesn’t know how to properly employ them while wearing a tiara, one of the few situations in which extra hair is almost a necessity for any woman who doesn’t want to wear a rigid updo or one of those puffy helmet hairstyles! You see other European royal ladies wearing pieces with their tiaras all the time, if you know how to spot them, but no one ever points it out because it’s properly blended with their natural hair.
Yup, Queen Maxima uses pads and a ton of spray regularly when she wears a tiara – she’s got pretty fine hair so if you you know when she’s suddenly got a big do it’s got some assistance built it.
Kate could pull off some really elaborate up-dos like Queen Silvia of Sweden, who really works a tiara and must have all sorts of scaffolding built into the structures. Heck even CP Victoria, whose standard hair is a scraped back bun, still manages to make the tiara sit straight.
This was very poor attempt, a very odd occasion to choose the straightener over the sausage curls that might have given her some volume to play with.
Letizia seems to have pretty straight and thin hair and she can pull off a tiara like La Buena (pretty much always with hair up.)
We say this so many time regarding W&K but if the other royals can figure it out, they should be able to as well.
Kitty looks like she’s off to attend the country music awards in the 80’s. So glittery and shiny 🤣🤣
Or channel liberace assistants on stage during his Vegas shows.
Both comments are perfect
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Well, everyone is looking at her and commenting so she got what I’m sure she wanted. If only someone cared about her enough to get her help for her obvious eating disorder! But alas, I’m sure she thinks she looks great!
Lady Elke Budenbender looks fantastic.
Keen needs an intervention ASAP.
I LOVE Elke’s green velvet dress! It is elegant and timeless. K & C look garish and ridiculous by comparison. Elke could be on the cover of Vogue in that look.
That portrait is…a lot. And somehow dated. William is a handlebar mustache away from Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria and Kate swathed with sequins and the giant crown… it screams monarchy, but not modern monarchy.
It’s so drab and bleak, I almost thought it was AI. What a weird series of decisions, to stand in front of a holiday tree in head-to-toe bling, only to create a photo that is completely devoid of warmth or seasonal cheer… but a decent reflection of their personal charisma: no sparkle whatsoever.
Yes, stiff and sterile and like royal portraits of late 19th, early 20th century. It’s like they said, “Well, nobody’s buying the Modern Era of School Run Mom and Ordinary Joe, let’s pivot to the court of Tsar Nicholas.”
That’s a Santee Alley (is there a British equivalent?) mother-of-the-bride dress. Probably spotted it when she was picking up some cheap-ass wiglets.
I don’t care for Jenny Packham’s “Vanna White on steroids” aesthetic to begin with, and then Kate always seems to choose the gaudiest, dated-looking pieces from each collection, my God.
I think she has this dress in every color. I can remember one in white, gold, red, blue/green (although less sparkly). I find the sparkly/sequence quite tacky, or at least this amount is tacky (IMO), but the color looks nice on her.
Kate getting multiples of the same dress in different colours is something she does for most of her outfits. While doing it for pantsuits is one thing, doing this with gowns just seems ridiculous and obsessive.
Also knowing she has to wear the household order at these events, I am not sure why she gets a dress where that area dips down and so it looks like the order is heavy and pulled down the material.
Kate’s forehead and face look so smooth and shiny. Either she’s been massively photoshopped in all these pics, or it’s new Botox for the holidays. I mean, I don’t do Botox myself but I wouldn’t begrudge it to a public figure.
I do like her hair straighter instead of the doll curls, although agree it should have been styled up for this tiara.
I was gonna say the same thing, they were VERY generous with the photoshopping on these. It’s almost uncanny valley territory.
She’s lucky the tiara didn’t fall off, taking the wig with it. It’s really not supposed to be crooked.
Keen wants the Disney princess look with the long hair. She can’t pull it off with the wig. She needs to lose the wigs and get a shoulder length hairdo.
@Tessa, I’ve thought that since the Trump event.
Kaiser isn’t kidding, that tiara really is sliding off her gofer wigglet. And how is that dress baggy in the neck area, like How? She really needs an intervention and I don’t know why her parents don’t seem to care enough to help her . I won’t ask about wank because we all know he doesn’t give a rats behind about her .
I don’t know why Kate insists on wearing her hair down when she wears a tiara. She should look to see how Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Mary of Denmark, Queen Maxima, and Queen Letizia dress for state dinners. They all wear their hair up when they wear a tiara. And if you are going to wear your hair down, make sure that the tiara is secure. She looks like a beauty queen who has just been crowned, with the tiara falling off her head.
She always used to wear her hair up with tiaras, in fact it looked really good in those days.
It has me thinking the long hair has become a comfort/safety thing for her, like a toddler’s blankie.
I also suspect she’s probably freezing cold all the time, since she’s so incredibly thin, and she feels too chilly when her hair is up off her neck.
The Swedish royal women could certainly teach the British royal women a thing or two about tiara hair, theirs is always spot on.
I LOVE that tiara. I have a thing for Victorian jewellery, and Prince Albert had great taste.
Orginally it was meant to be opals, but someone had the great idea of swapping them for rubies…
Beautiful.
I would have loved to see it with opals though! Am very fond of opals.
Victoria was painted with the original opals
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Queen_Victoria_with_the_sash_of_the_Order_of_St_Patrick%2C_1854.png
It’s wild, that tiara is wonky in every photo! I saw a few photos last night and I immediately noticed it was crooked in every shot. It looks heavy and without an updo to pin it to, it looks like it’s gonna slide right off if she moves her head in a normal way. While I liked seeing this crown, the Lover’s Knot might have been more manageable and definitely not as heavy.
That is actually rather impressive, to position it so that it is obviously crooked from EVERY angle. Hats off to Kates’ Royal Hair Wrangler.
William looks so sad and off from the photos I have seen. Kate doesn’t look as happy and welcoming as she did when Trump visited.
There is a video circulating of W&K taken in the afternoon prior to the state banquet. Kate is talking to people and William is becoming visibly agitated with her. The hostility between them is palpable.
Tell me he didn’t give her the wind it up motion with her hands again like he did at the Jordanian wedding 😱
I’m sorry but that particular tiara with that over-long hair makes Kate look like a beauty pageant contestant.
If you read the comment section of People Magazine everyone will say she’s stunning.
It’s stunning how cheap she is making that tiara look when it’s sitting crooked on her head.
But bots tend to swarm certain sites. KP needs its moneys worth.
eh, if you read this one she will always be picked apart — folks tend to find their own echo chambers.
Sure, but in this case, the lopsided tiara is right in front of our eyes. That detail is not about an echo chamber. Debate the dress and whether it’s the right amount of sparkle, sure, but the tiara crookedness is not really a debate so much as an observation of what we can see right before us in photos.
Fifty comments saying she is stunning is the work of bots.
What is stunning is how poorly that tiara was placed on her head. The BRF used to be considered the top royal family. Now it looks like a trashy joke.
As people have said, it’s very Disney Elsa vibes. But Kate actually does better when she leans into the evil queen vibes. The precision and austerity of some of her military coat dresses could be applied to some of her formal looks.
No comment about Kate’s tiara that hasn’t already been said. Fortunately The Court Jeweller posted pix last night and all of their commenters agreed with what everyone is saying here.
However, I did LOVE the Duchess of Gloucester’s dress and tiara. She is almost always the best dressed royal imo.
So the website specializing in royal headwear is saying that Kate wore it crookedly? Oh I guess they must all be in an echo chamber too. Because of course kate can’t have possibly fumbled something.
The ONLY Woman that looked sophisticated & gorgeous above is the First Lady of Germany 🇩🇪
I thought that the Duchess of Gloucester looked phenomenal!
I wish Sophie and Ann could play more in the jewel vault. I’m disappointed that Charles doesn’t let them choose bigger items for these kinds of occasions.
The Duchess is probably the most consistently elegant of all the British royals. She very rarely misses, and she has a spectacular jewel collection. I assume she’ll be at the Lord Mayors banquet tonight (the Gloucesters are the usual representatives from the royals for that), and I’m looking forward to seeing which tiara she pulls out. Hoping for the Iveagh, which is my favourite!
It’ll be sad to see the Gloucester tiaras go for auction which they inevitably will be. Death duties will be high and their children don’t need them. I wish the royals would buy them back as their historic and lovely as well as looking more modern than some currently in the vault. Plus their provenance isn’t messy as they were privately bought or wedding gifts. Or that they are donated to a museum like some have been in lieu of the taxes.
Love the tiara. Though it looks a mess with the long straight hair. An elegant updo would have been so much better. Hate the dress. Though all the evening dresses look awful when adorned with those silly sashes and tacky orders.
NGL…when I read “she paired the gown with the girls of Great Britain…”, I thought Kaiser was talking about Camilla’s ongoing tragic bust situation.
Usually, at these state dinners, the royals wore small bows featuring a picture of the monarch in honour of the monarch they served. So QE2 always wore hers and her father’s… Charles and Co. only wear Charles’ badge, never his mother’s.
However, Anne is wearing her mother’s badge and her brother’s. But Charles, Camilla, William and Kate are only wearing the one for Charles.
@Hattie, I noticed that too and thought it strange. Like you, my understanding was that you wore the order of each monarch you served. Perhaps they’ve changed the rules now
Sophie and the Duchess of Gloucester also wore both orders.
It just looks rude that Camilla and Kate did not wear the one from Elizabeth.
Will ‘s clutch of medals: are they just Jubilee and Coronation medals?
Participation medals!
Unusually for me, I quite liked Kate’s dress. I also liked the tiara but not on Kate. I think it was far too big for someone with such a slender frame, It may have looked better with an up-do. I’ve noticed quite a few royal ladies, recently, with their hair down while wearing tiaras and I don’t think it looks right. Maybe, I’m old-fashioned but I always think a tiara looks better if hair is up or fluffed out like Camilla’s.
I didn’t like Camilla’s dress. It was very dowdy. However, I think she would have worn the Oriental Circlet tiara well as she’s able to carry off big pieces of jewellery much better.
Figure skating costume vibes. That’s all I’ve got ⛸️ ⛸️⛸️
Bill and Cathy have the charisma and charm of wet dish rags. Chuck and Cam are just old fuddy duddy’s now. I always look forward to tiara moments but this was just meh.
So it’s not just me, that crown wasn’t sitting correctly on her head and was definitely askew in every single photo. I don’t think it’s a bad look on Kate per se, but that is not the dress or the hairstyle to pull that crown off. It needs an updo and a dress that is not busy looking with a million sequins, a cape, and an off center neckline. The loose hair makes her look like a pageant contestant.
As for the dress, my immediate reaction was “no.” It looks like an offshoot of a figure skating outfit and I see people comparing it to Princess Elsa. Had she worn this to a kids’ Christmas event or something similar, I could see little kids enjoying the dress. But with foreign dignitaries, it just looks super out of place. Yes I know it’s December and it’s the Christmas season but it just comes across as a very juvenile outfit.
I actually really loved Camilla’s outfit. I know people don’t like she wears a tiara that QEII wore so frequently but that tiara actually really suits her. And her dress is dark green so it’s festive and Christmassy without coming across as juvenile like Kate. She actually looks like an adult.
She’s not pictured here but I also really loved Sophie’s outfit as well.
Already thought it at yesterday’s photos – I want everything the first lady is wearing!! She is the most chic of them all
I actually do like Kate’s gown. It’s quite sparkly and perhaps too much but I still like sparkly dress.
That said, I’ll agree with everyone else that the tiara placement is bad. Yeah it’s a nice tiara and I’m honestly glad we’re seeing jewels that aren’t just the damn lovers knot but it’s styled badly. Whoever did her did a terrible job, point blank.
Which is a theme with Kate IMO. Often she’ll wear a nice outfit or perhaps an average outfit and the styling or some accessory will just drag it down. In this case it’s the styling of the tiara.
I agree with other comments that Kate’s look is giving an 80’s pageant vibe. It’s all just too much with the cape, sparkly dress, ribbons, badges, huge tiara and the heavy makeup too it all accentuates that she doesn’t look healthy. In the case of her actually having had cancer and not just pre-cancerous cells, I would say that may be why she isn’t looking her best. A more understated look would be more flattering. Camilla’s dress looked like a Christmas tablecloth just really awful. The German First Lady was, I agree very chic and elegant. Why can’t their stylists all coordinate so the ladies’ looks are more in tune? The photos would look so much better. Not necessarily color coordinated but not such glaringly clashing styles. I thought Will looked like a photo of Czar Nicholas II. He looked good IMO but so sad.
Spot on, Elly. I was going to say Cam’s dress was giving upholstery vibes (maybe she’s trying to attract JD?) but the Christmas tablecloth is even better. Don’t know who picked Kate’s dress but yes once you hear “beauty pageant” you can’t unsee that. And let’s hear it for the loved up couple that can’t coordinate their emotions in an official photo. Nothing says true love like one person smiling and the other one with resting b*tch face.
If you haven’t already, check out the pictures of Claudia Schiffer who was seated next to the British Prime Minister and quite close to William. Her dress is jaw-droppingly stunning and what a figure – she is taller than KM at 5’11” but has curves and doesn’t look emaciated.
KM would have been on edge all evening, no wonder her hair and the tiara/crown were skew-whiff.
Oh wow. That was an interesting dress. Balmain. Black velvet and those jewels and gold sparkles. I’m not mad at it. She carried it well.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/claudia-schiffer-makes-surprise-appearance-160433073.html
Claudia looked stunning! But really, she’s a supermodel so she’s definitely in a class of her own.
Claudia looked fantastic and her presence was actually expected as she’s a German national married to a Brit. Can’t wait to see Kate try to copy keen Claudia.
Kate’s dress is so old for her … I mean, she’s not the innocent ingenue the rota make her out to be, but she still shouldn’t be wearing something that Camilla could have worn.
And yes, Frau Budenbender’s dress is gorgeous and chic. If Kate had a skilled stylist, or friends aside from her mother, it’s the sort of gown she should have worn.
Is the picture taken in their new forever home?
Hi Tamsin, no this particular pic was taken at Frogmore House
(Can’t have us plebs seeing into their new never forever home)
Quote: “Kensington Palace shared a glamourous official portrait of the Prince and Princess of Wales as the couple was dressed to the nines for the big event.
Taken by photographer Alex Bramall at Frogmore House, a royal residence near Windsor Castle, the photo was accompanied by a short message.
“Looking forward to a special banquet tonight in Windsor,” the caption stated along with emojis of the German and Union Jack flags.” END QUOTE
I don’t know why I find it weird that they presumably got ready in their home, FL, and then stopped at Frogmore House to take pictures before going to WC. Is it the only place with a staircase and Christmas tree? Why not snap a pic at WC where they were going to go anyways? Are we sure William isn’t staying in a suite of rooms at FH, lol.
Is this a new thing, where Charles and Camilla do the official photo with the visiting guests, and WanK sneak outside or cozy up to the Christmas tree to do their own, separate photo? Because I seem to remember state visits where the whole family was in the pic, but that hasn’t happened at any of the state visits this year.
This site is so weird. By most accounts, she looked spectacular last night. I sure thought so. Great dress, great styling.
Kate sure loves to make a spectacle of herself . Spectacular ? No . I guess people are entitled to an opinion . Not so long ago that Meghan was getting flak for her couture gowns in Paris ..and she looked effortlessly regal without the truckload of bling Kate plasters on herself
There’s no accounting for taste.
I agree! I thought she looked breathtaking. I had a lot of time on my hands while waiting for a flight yesterday and randomly got tons of coverage of this event in my feed. The coverage was universally glowing with respect to Kate. I don’t follow the royals so don’t have an opinion about their character(s) but Kate is a beautiful woman.
A crooked tiara is not great styling.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again…it doesn’t matter what the British Royal women wear to these state events because the stupid sashes, ribbons and badges are all I can see. And they are FUGLY. They clutter up every gown they wear.
So for me, the First Lady of Germany is the only one in these pictures I want to see and she looks very chic.
I would wear the dress the German First Lady is wearing. The dress is elegant and her styling is impeccable.
In retrospect, this does make QEII’s state dinner uniform of a relatively plain white gown much more sensible. Takes the fashion out of the equation.
I think the dress is very pretty. I love the color, the cape and I’m all about sequins especially around the holidays!! But, yes that tiara seemed way too big and/or heavy. Other than that she looked lovely.
So is the big heavy tiara pulling the wig down? You can’t make this stuff up.
– RE Kate’s dress: I am so over the asymmetric neckline in general.
– RE Peg: I love to see him looking miserable
– RE Chuckes: Same as Peg’s comment
– RE Camilla: Drunker than a raccoon in Virginia
– RE The Germans: How does one say “What the hell are we even doing here?” in German?
In German:
Wie zum Teufel sind wir hier gelandet?
I actually have a dress in similar fabric (very different pattern) to the one Camilla wore haha but I guess I do love 80s couches.
So what do we think? Was Katiekins mad that she & William had to walk in behind Sophie & Edward?
I got the impression that she wasn’t bothered, she seemed on a high to me with her tiara/crown (ex Queen-Mother) and her extensions down to her waist. All she’d have cared about was catching exciting glimpses of herself in the Castle’s mirrors.
Feel sorry for the chap she was paired with for dinner.
@Wendy
Waity is always picked apart you say?
The Duchess would like a word……
It’s a basic thing to expect a tiara to not look crooked during a state dinner. But royalists are like MAGAs and can’t handle reality.
That sparkly blue gown is giving county fair pageant queen. It’s trashy and screams “look at me!!”
Why oh why after more than 20 years in the limelight hasn’t KKKhate developed an elegant, stately style? Geez! She’s going to be kween someday. Why doesn’t she have a competent dresser? Her hair is a mess and her clothing is pointless. What a drag, Brits!
I thought she looked absolutely stunning.
The Rottweiler was even more stunning.
I unreservedly love the fabric of Kate’s dress – blurple and sparkle? Why the heck not. I don’t love the cape or the neckline or the tiara drunken perched atop her cheap wig, but that color is amazing.
What’s with the botox? Makes her look very strange. It doesn’t work for her forehead.
Maybe camouflage for the vertical scar?
I think it almost looks like they could be AI and they weren’t actually there they were just added to the photos later. Like someone said, “I’ll put a sparkly long dress on Kate and I’ll add a cape to match and I’ll put a ribbon here and a badge here and another badge there and some long sparkly earrings and oh yeah, a tiara too and it will be a really big tiara. I’ll put lots of medals on William so he looks very impressive and then let’s put them under a Christmas tree.” I’m joking but it does kind of look like that to me.
To me she looks like a coat rack with a pumpkin wedged on top.
That tiara is beautiful, thank you to the commenters sharing the pics of Queen Victoria wearing it, much better I may add. I had to laugh when I saw the first pictures of Kate having just read her nonsense about Christmas not being the time for grand gestures. What is all quiet and gentle about this cheap glittery ensemble? LOL! Barbie Princess who is always looking for the camera. Willy looks my cat who we used to dress up in doll clothes. She looked adorbs but would just sit there looking so put out. That’s Willy’s put upon face for all to see. Man Child. 😂
That’s not a tiara – it’s a diamond hat!
A crown of thorns.
The cut/slant of that neckline toward her left shoulder is unfortunate – it makes it look like the white ribbon thingie is pulling the neckline down.
Otherwise, she looks okay.