King, Queen and William welcome diplomats to glittering Palace reception

The Prince of Wales joined the monarch and consort for the grand white-tie affair on Tuesday night, but William was without the Princess of Wales, who is often a regular attendee at such events, at his side.

Kate, who finished her chemotherapy treatment in the summer and is gradually returning to public duties as she recovers from cancer, is focusing on hosting her annual Christmas carol concert in Westminster Abbey in just over two weeks’ time.

Camilla was dressed in a blue velvet evening dress by Fiona Clare, and opted for Elizabeth II’s small aquamarine and diamond tiara as she gathered with some 900 guests at the Diplomatic Corps reception.

The delicate headwear – sometimes known as the aquamarine ribbon tiara – features five large aquamarines set in intricate ribbons of diamonds.

It is the first time Camilla has worn the rarely seen jewellery.

The piece has been favoured in the past by the Duchess of Edinburgh who as the then-Countess of Wessex wore it to the gala dinner celebrating the Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg’s wedding in 2012, and at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013.

William, in dapper white tie, wore his Order of the Garter blue sash with Lesser George badge.

His chest orders were the Garter Star and the Thistle Star, and his neck order was the Order of Bath. He also wore his miniature medals including for the Golden, Diamond and Platinum jubilees and Coronation.

The King, who wore white tie with traditional knee breeches and buckled shoes, was seen chatting warmly to his guests.

It is the first time the Queen has been pictured since Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that her beloved rescue dog Beth had been put down.

But she smiled widely as she made her way through the state rooms.

Camilla, who is also recovering from a chest infection, may not stay for the whole event depending on how she is feeling, having recently returned to shortened engagements after her seasonal illness.

The annual event celebrates the presence in London of one of the largest Diplomatic Corps in the world, and hundreds of representatives of countries accredited to the Court of St James, are welcomed to the Palace dressed in their finery for the showcase of UK’s diplomatic year.

The history of the late Queen’s tiara is not entirely clear.

Elizabeth II had another larger aquamarine piece – the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure Tiara – which was made to match a necklace given to her by the president of Brazil as a coronation gift in 1953,

There is some suggestion the smaller tiara was made from additional aquamarine jewellery gifted to the late Queen by the Governor of Sao Paulo.

Camilla teamed the tiara with an aquamarine and diamond necklace and earrings, which are private pieces of jewellery.

The Queen also wore the King Charles III’s Family Order – a diamond-encased miniature portrait of her husband topped with a tiny gold and enamel Tudor crown and suspended on a pale blue silk bow on her left shoulder – which she first wore at the Japanese state banquet in June.

Family Orders badges are worn at formal evening occasions by female members of the royal family and personally bestowed by the sovereign. They are a sign of the importance of the wearer within the royal household.

In 2023, Kate, in a floor-length pale pink dress by Jenny Packham, wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara, a diamond and pearl-encrusted headpiece made in 1914, which was often worn by Diana, Princess of Wales.

The diplomatic reception is traditionally held early next month in the run-up to Christmas, rather than in November, but the King is hosting a state visit by the Emir of Qatar in the first week of December.

Foreign ambassadors and high commissioners based in the UK, their spouses or partners, and diplomatic staff were among those who were entertained.

The evening includes a buffet supper and dancing in the Palace ballroom.