The Duchess of Edinburgh looked sophisticated as she attended a glitzy state banquet to welcome the President and First Lady of South Korea to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening.
Sophie, 58, opted to re-wear the royal white Suzannah couture embroidered floor-length dress, which she first donned for the coronation of her brother-in-law King Charles at Westminster Abbey earlier this year.
The royal completed the elegant ensemble with a silver Maud clutch from Anya Hindmarch and Emmy London Charlotte’ pumps, which cost £455.
She added even more glitz with her favorite aquamarine tiara, which she has worn on many occasions over the years, and diamond earrings.
The sparkling tiara features a stunning central aquamarine stone and Sophie first stepped out in the piece during the celebrations of Prince Albert II of Monaco’s accession to the throne in 2005.
The Duchess of Edinburgh looked sophisticated as she attended a glitzy state banquet to welcome the President and First Lady of South Korea to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening.
The now called Wessex Aquamarine Tiara, as it is clearly a favorite of the Royal Family, was custom made for Sophie by G. Collins & Sons, a famous English jewelry house.
In 2015, Sophie brought out the tiara again when she attended the wedding of Swedish Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, and again in 2022 for the first state banquet during King Charles’ reign.
The royal also wore a blue GCVO sash across her chest featuring her Family Order and star.
The King and Queen welcomed Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee during the glittering festivities at Buckingham Palace yesterday.
At the start of the banquet, the king gave a speech full of Korean and references to K-pop culture, before an audience consisting of members of the world’s “biggest girl band.”
In his address to more than 300 attendees at the state banquet, including singers BLACKPINK, he welcomed them with a touch of Korean: “Yeong-gug-e osin geos-eul hwan-yeonghabnida (Welcome to Britain).”
Marking the 140th anniversary of Korea’s diplomatic relationship with Britain, the king described it as a “partnership in which close personal ties, nurtured over many decades, have today grown into a genuine sense of affection, or jeong , between our societies on so many levels’.
And he even joked about his own 1992 visit to the country with the late Princess Diana, saying, “Unfortunately, when I was in Seoul all those years ago, I’m not sure I developed much of what the Gangnam style could be called! ‘
Sophie, 58, opted to re-wear the regal white Suzannah couture embroidered floor-length dress, which she first donned for the coronation of her brother-in-law, King Charles, at Westminster Abbey earlier this year
Prince Edward and Sophie arrived ahead of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May
He also praised Korea’s commitment to the environment despite major changes in the country.
“The Republic of Korea, as one of the few countries that ended the twentieth century with more trees than at the beginning of the century, has always understood this,” he said.
Also in attendance was the Princess of Wales, who looked effortlessly elegant in a white dress and dazzling tiara.
Kate, 41, joined her husband Prince William in welcoming Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife to the glittering festivities.
The mother of three looked ethereal in a white Jenny Packham dress and added to her look with a glitzy pair of Queen Elizabeth earrings, her Family Order and her GCVO sash and star.
The royal family also opted for the Strathmore Rose Tiara, which belonged to the Queen Mother and was a gift from her parents in 1923.
The royal completed the elegant ensemble with a silver Maud clutch from Anya Hindmarch and Emmy London Charlotte’ pumps, which retail for £455.
She added even more glitz with her favorite aquamarine tiara, which she has worn on many occasions over the years, and diamond earrings (pictured arriving with Cho Taeyong for the state banquet)
The Princess of Wales (pictured with Prince William, left) was effortlessly elegant in a white dress and dazzling tiara as she arrived for the state banquet
The King and Queen appeared to be in good spirits as they attended the glittering occasion
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at the state banquet at Buckingham Palace
It can be worn on the head or as a bandeau over the forehead, as the then Duchess of York chose to do in the fashion of the time. But the delicate floral design has not been worn in public for years.
Kate was joined on the occasion by Queen Camilla, who paid tribute to her late mother-in-law as she unearthed Queen Elizabeth’s stunning ruby and diamond Burmese tiara.
The late monarch’s tiara was made in the 1970s from gemstones taken from Nizam of Hyderabad’s tiara, which was given to her as a wedding gift.
It matched Camilla’s red velvet evening dress from Fiona Clare, which had a relaxed silhouette with flowing sleeves and a pleated skirt. She styled her blonde locks in a signature hairstyle and opted for dewy, peach makeup.
Kate and Camilla also wore yellow brooches on their chests, which featured a portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II, wearing an evening dress with a ribbon and a star of the Order of the Garter.
The brooches are a sign that the wearer is part of the Royal Family Order, an honor granted by the monarch to female members of the Firm.