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This is why Kate’s green dress is the ultimate soft diplomatic move

The Princess of Wales wears a green dress and walks in Windsor Castle

The Princess of Wales wore the colours of Nigeria’s flag as she joined King Charles for a State Banquet in honour of the country’s president.

Kate, along with Prince William, was among the royal guests at the gala dinner held at Windsor on the first day of the State Visit by President Bola Tinubu.

The Princess chose a deep green dress and matched it with the cream and white of her favourite diamond and pearl tiara to make a perfect match with the Nigerian flag, which is made up entirely of those colours.

The tiara was the Lover’s Knot diadem, once worn by Diana and by Queen Mary, and which has been one of Kate’s favourite jewels.

The Princess of Wales, standing next to Prince William, wears a green dress
Kensington Palace /Instagram still/ fair use

As well as the tiara, which features pearl drops suspended in diamond arches, the Princess of Wales wore a pair of earrings that once belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.

The late Queen also inspired the jewels chosen by Queen Camilla. She wore the sapphire tiara that is part of a suite of jewels built by Queen Elizabeth II. Her father, King George VI, gave her a sapphire necklace as a birthday present and later, Elizabeth II found a sapphire and diamond necklace to turn into a tiara to complete the set.

The sapphires, known as the George VI Suite, have been a favourite of Queen Camilla since the accession of King Charles III and they were the first jewels she wore to a gala event following the start of her husband’s reign.

Queen Camilla’s dress choice was an embroidered white gown by one of her favourite couturiers, Fiona Clare.

The Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Gloucester were also in the royal party.

Earlier, William and Kate had welcomed the President of Nigeria and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, to Windsor and accompanied them to the royal dais in Windsor Great Park for the official ceremonial.

King Charles and Queen Camilla led the official welcome which saw both national anthems played and a carriage procession through Windsor.

The King later changed the traditional State Visit pattern which includes a lunch. Instead, he held an audience with President Tinubu. The president is observing fasting during Ramadan and only eats between sunset and sunrise until Eid.

The State Visit continues on March 19.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.