Kate, Princess of Wales, dazzled in a sequinned red full-length gown and the Lotus Flower Tiara as the royal family welcomed diplomats to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla and the Prince of Wales also attended the first Diplomatic Corps reception in three years, greeting hundreds of guests at the glittering affair in London.
The Buckingham Palace event was the first Diplomatic Corps reception of the king’s reign, and the monarch, the queen consort and the Prince and Princess of Wales welcomed foreign ambassadors to the grand occasion in the royal residence’s state rooms.
The Princess of Wales, with her hair worn down and straightened without her trademark waves, was dressed in a floor-length scarlet Jenny Packham dress decorated in sequinned flower motifs, as well as a blue Royal Victorian Order sash and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Family Order, which sits on a yellow ribbon.
Her drop diamond earrings belonged to the queen.
The princess has worn the Lotus Flower Tiara — also known as the Queen Mother’s Papyrus Tiara — previously.
Made of diamonds in fanned motifs and crowned by floating diamond arches, it belonged to Princess Margaret.
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She also wore it to the diplomatic reception at the palace in 2013 and to her first state banquet in the UK in 2015 during a Chinese state visit.
The queen consort once again wore the late queen’s diamond and sapphire tiara and necklace, which she chose for the South African state banquet last month, and an Anna Valentine gown.
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The late queen was set to host the white-tie gathering in March this year at Windsor Castle, but it was postponed due to Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is usually held every December, but there were no receptions in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic.
The reception traditionally includes a buffet supper and dancing.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
