Kate Middleton’s return to state banquets came with a regal new accessory.
The Princess of Wales, 43, joined Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla and more members of the royal family at Windsor Castle on July 8 for the state banquet honoring French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, as part of their state visit to the U.K. The outing marked Kate’s first time attending a state banquet since 2023, as she missed two similar events last year as she focused on her cancer treatment out of the public eye.
In addition to wearing her first tiara in a year and a half, Princess Kate also debuted her Royal Family Order of King Charles III. She pinned the badge featuring a miniature portrait of her father-in-law with a pale blue ribbon on her sash, just above the late Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Family Order.
Queen Camilla previously wore the King’s Royal Family Order at the Japan state visit in June 2024, making her the first person to wear it. She wore the piece again at the France state banquet.King Charles’ Royal Family Order, worn by Queen Camilla on July 8, 2025.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time, “The tradition of commissioning a Family Order, a badge worn by female members of the royal family personally bestowed by the sovereign, was established by King George IV over 200 years ago. Family Orders have since been instituted by Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.”
The honor was specially created for women in 1821, in part because only men could receive many honors. The Family Order is personally given out by the monarch without consultation with the government, traditionally after a female royal has been acting as a working member of the family for several years.
Princess Kate has slowly returned to her royal duties since announcing in January that she is in remission. However, she is still working to balance her public duties with her recovery and recently spoke about the “really difficult” phase that follows treatment during her visit to Colchester Hospital on July 2.
“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 said during the outing.
Prince William and Kate Middleton at state banquet at Windsor Castle on July 8, 2025.
For the France state banquet, the Princess of Wales sported Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, one of her most-worn tiaras since debuting it in 2015, with a caped red dress designed by Sarah Burton, her royal wedding dress designer, for French brand Givenchy. She also accessorized with earrings from the late Queen Elizabeth’s jewelry collection.
