Which tiaras will we see at the state banquet as the UK hosts a state visit for the first time under Charles III?

King Charles III will be hosting his first state visit as monarch when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is in the United Kingdom from Tuesday, 22 November, to Thursday, 24 November. The visit includes a state banquet on Tuesday evening, where many attendees will be wearing some impressive tiaras, one of the few formal occasions left where the British Royal Family wears their bigger jewellery. 

We will not know which tiaras will be worn until members of the Royal Family start to arrive. With the new King’s ascension, more options may be available to senior royals if he chooses to lend them. 

The Princess Royal tends to gravitate to the same tiaras, including the Festoon Tiara and the Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara. She frequently wears the aquamarine piece for state banquets, so there is a good chance we will see it on her again. 

The Countess of Wessex has worn two tiaras in her royal role. The Queen gifted her the Wessex Wedding Tiara for her 1999 wedding to Prince Edward, and she has worn it to several state events since. In the late 2010s, the design was slightly tweaked. She also started wearing the Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara in 2012 and has worn it to many events. There is a good likelihood that she will wear the Wessex Wedding Tiara again. Given that Sophie was incredibly close with the late Queen, it would be a lovely gesture if Charles allowed her to wear the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara as it was one of Elizabeth’s favourites.

The new Princess of Wales has worn three tiaras since joining the Royal Family in 2011. Catherine wore the Cartier Halo Tiara for her wedding to Prince William; the slender piece with a scroll design dates back to 1936 when the future-King George VI bought it for his wife. She has worn the Lotus Flower Tiara twice but regularly wears the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara. 

It is likely that Catherine will wear the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara again for her first banquet as Princess of Wales as her late mother-in-law also favoured the statement piece. 

The Queen Consort has worn several tiaras over her nearly two decades in the Royal Family. She has worn several pieces that belonged to the Queen Mother, including the honeycomb-shaped Greville Tiara and the Dehli Durbar Tiara. 

Camilla may very well choose to wear one of the late Queen’s tiaras for her first state banquet as Queen Consort. A strong choice would be the Vladimir Tiara; Elizabeth inherited the tiara from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who purchased it from an impoverished Grand Duchess who escaped Bolshevik Russia. The Vladimir can be worn with pearls or diamonds (or without, referred to as a widowed setting), allowing for versatility, and was one of Queen Elizabeth’s favourite pieces. 

While jewellery lovers and royal watchers alike will be watching closely to see what tiaras are worn, it is too soon to say whether or not the new King will be throwing the vault open wide.