Kate Middleton's never-before-seen gesture shows true feelings for King Charles
Princess Kate revealed her "true feelings" towards King Charles through an unprecedented gesture. This week, she joined the Royal Family at a state banquet held in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
This marks her first full state visit since being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer last year. Now on the mend, Kate was present with the royals at Windsor Castle for the visit.
She had previously been absent from the Japanese state visit and only made a brief appearance at the Qatar visit. However, this week, Kate, resplendent in a Givenchy dress and the Lover's Knot Tiara, accompanied Prince William to the dinner.
Speaking on the Palace Confidential podcast, Mail on Sunday Editor at Large Charlotte Griffiths described Kate as looking like a "Queen in waiting". Reflecting on the Princess of Wales's presence at the state banquet, she remarked: "It was a big, big deal.
"It's the first time we've seen her in a tiara for nearly two years. She's back on parade in a very, very formal capacity and she looked fantastic.
"It was so nice for everyone that loves Catherine around the world to see her back, leading the Royal Family and she is more empowered than ever. She really is starting to look regal and like a Queen in waiting."
An accessory honouring Kate's father-in-law, King Charles, has caught the eye of Royal commentators. Griffiths noted: "She also wore the Order of King Charles III, which is a small portrait of Charles that you wear on your left shoulder.
"This is the first time she has worn one of those, she has previously worn one for Queen Elizabeth II but this is the first time we have seen her wearing a portrait of her father-in-law on her left shoulder. It's really, really sweet to see."
The Royal Family Order is considered a token of appreciation from the monarch to female family members in recognition of their service to the Crown, a tradition believed to originate with King George IV in the 19th century.
The Order of King Charles made its first appearance in June 2024 and broke away from tradition by using polymin - a plastic material - instead of ivory for its backing.
King Charles chose a pale blue ribbon for his Royal Family Order, paying homage to his great-grandfather King George V. In contrast, the late Queen Elizabeth opted for a pale yellow ribbon, and her father, King George VI, selected pale pink.
Kate isn't the only Royal recently seen sporting the portrait. Queen Camilla donned the accessory during last year's state visit from Japan.
She was also observed wearing the Royal Order during President Macron's visit. The portrait for the order was crafted by artist Elizabeth Meek, who admitted that creating it was "very stressful".
The petite 4cm by 3cm portrait reportedly took over 100 hours to create, meticulously crafted under a magnifying glass before being set in a diamond-studded frame.
Speaking to The Times, the artist shared: "I did it in four weeks. My husband insisted I took a day off a week because I worked every day from morning till night. It was really stressful,".
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