Kate Middleton stuns in a glittering tiara moment at Windsor Castle.
The Princess of Wales made heads turn as she arrived alongside her husband Prince William.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicked off their state visit to the U.K. on Wednesday, when the Prince and Princess of Wales greeted them. The senior royals put on a united front this evening for a state banquet at Windsor Castle to welcome the couple.
KATE MIDDLETON TO PLAY ‘PIVOTAL ROLE’ AT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S HISTORIC STATE VISIT: EXPERT
For the evening, Kate wore her favorite showpiece, The Lover’s Knot tiara. It was commissioned for Queen Mary in 1913 from Britain’s House of Garrard, Vogue.com reported. It features diamonds and 19 hanging drop-shaped pearls, all set in silver and gold.
The tiara was handed down to Queen Elizabeth, who eventually handed it down to her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana. It quickly became a known favorite for the late Princess of Wales. It has become Kate’s formal headwear of choice.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” told Fox News Digital the royals love to showcase their jewels during state banquets.
“… They drip in jewels,” said Seward. “They absolutely drip with jewels. It’s the one time they could really show off their jewelry.”
Kate also sported a couture gown by British designer Phillipa Lepley featuring a full-length, hand-embroidered gold Chantilly lace evening coat.
The true centerpiece of the state visit was the banquet in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle. The Waterloo Table — about half the length of a football field — can seat up to 160 guests. The Associated Press reported it takes five full days to set the table, which holds more than 4,000 pieces, including 200-year-old silver.
Men are expected to wear white ties and tailcoats, while women don designer gowns and jewels.
Chef Darren McGrady, a royal chef for 15 years who cooked for five U.S. presidents, told Fox News Digital that the menu gives a heartfelt nod to Queen Elizabeth II. One of the desserts that will be savored included a bombe glacée cardinal — a vanilla ice cream featuring Kentish raspberry sorbet and lightly poached Victoria plums.
“Bombes were served at maybe 70% of all state banquets,” he said. “It’s an ice cream where we use an old Victorian copper mold. The queen loved to have ice cream at state banquets, so we often served it. She also loved a bombe glacée royal, which is mint ice cream with chocolate. The queen loved chocolate.”
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The king’s mother isn’t the only matriarch being honored during the state dinner. The royal menu also showed that, after dinner, guests would be served a Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne from the president’s mother’s birth year.
In addition, a 1945 vintage port, closest to the year of the president’s birth year, will be served. It’s noted that ports are not made every year. Guests will also enjoy American red wine and English sparkling wine.
The king gave a speech in which he spoke of the special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K.
“The bond between our two nations is indeed a remarkable one,” said the monarch. “Forged in the fire of conflict, it has been fortified through our shared endeavors and burnished by the deep affection between our people. Tested time and again, it has borne the weight of our common purpose and raised our ambition for a better world.”
“So, in renewing our bond tonight, we do so with unshakable trust in our friendship and in our shared commitment to independence and liberty,” the 76-year-old shared. “Therefore, as we celebrate this unparalleled partnership, allow me to propose a toast to President Trump and the first lady, and to the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States of America.”
In 2019, The New York Times reported one of Trump’s earliest memories, which he often shares, was seeing his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, enthralled by Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
Before the feast, Trump said his second state visit was “one of the highest honors of my life.”
“It’s a singular privilege to be the first American president welcomed here and, if you think about it, it’s a lot of presidents and this was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time,” said Trump.
“But this is truly one of the highest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital the menus are written in French, a tradition dating back to the 11th century.
“This practice symbolizes sophistication,” she shared.
Dishes such as organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and quail egg salad highlight locally grown ingredients from the royal family’s estate. A cocktail created for the occasion — the Transatlantic Whisky Sour — blends Johnnie Walker Black with citrus marmalade and is topped with a toasted marshmallow on a star-shaped biscuit.
No U.S. president, or any other world leader, has ever had the honor of a second U.K. state visit, The Associated Press reported. The festivities involved 120 horses and 1,300 troops — including the largest guard of honor in living memory.
