In a night of glittering diplomacy and historic sparkle, Princess Catherine, the Princess of Wales, turned heads at Windsor Castle’s grand state banquet on December 3, 2025, honoring German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender. Marking her third tiara appearance of the year, Catherine debuted Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet – a breathtaking ruby-and-diamond masterpiece valued at around £6.5 million, unseen in public for nearly two decades. Paired with a shimmering pale blue Jenny Packham gown featuring a dramatic cape, she embodied elegance and subtle symbolism, nodding to the tiara’s German origins.
Crafted in 1853 by Garrard under the direction of Prince Albert – Queen Victoria’s German-born consort – the Oriental Circlet draws inspiration from Mughal arches and lotus flowers, influenced by Indian jewels displayed at the Great Exhibition. Originally set with opals (Albert’s favorite gem) and over 2,600 diamonds, it cost about £860 at the time. In 1902, Queen Alexandra, wary of opals’ supposed bad luck, replaced them with Burmese rubies and reduced its size from 17 to 11 arches. Designated a crown heirloom in Victoria’s will for queens consort, it became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who wore it frequently until her death in 2002. The late Queen Elizabeth II donned it just once, in Malta in 2005, before it vanished into the vaults.
Catherine’s choice was no accident. With Prince Albert hailing from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the tiara paid homage to Anglo-German ties during this first state visit from Germany in 27 years. The banquet, held in St. George’s Hall amid festive Christmas decorations including a towering Nordmann Fir from Windsor Great Park, underscored strengthening post-Brexit relations. King Charles III, in his speech, praised shared values and pledged support against global challenges, while President Steinmeier highlighted renewed human connections.
Joining Catherine and Prince William were King Charles, Queen Camilla (in the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara), Princess Anne, and the Duchesses of Edinburgh and Gloucester, all in white-tie finery. Catherine accessorized with the late Queen’s diamond chandelier earrings, her Royal Family Order, and the Royal Victorian Order sash. Her gently waved hair cleverly secured the towering circlet, earning praise for its regal balance – a far cry from her usual Lover’s Knot Tiara, worn 13 times since 2015.
This marks Catherine’s fifth unique tiara: the Cartier Halo (wedding, 2011), Lotus Flower, Lover’s Knot, Strathmore Rose (2023), and now the Oriental Circlet – her largest yet. As future queen, her expanding jewel rotation signals growing confidence in diplomatic roles. The evening blended tradition with modernity: a carriage procession, Guard of Honour, and addresses on Europe’s unity amid tensions.
Post-banquet buzz focused on Catherine’s “most regal moment,” with the tiara’s ruby glow against her Prussian blue ensemble evoking Germany’s national flower, the cornflower. As 2025’s final state banquet, it capped a year of royal resilience, hinting at brighter jewels ahead. In a world of fleeting trends, Catherine proved timeless glamour endures – one historic circlet at a time.
