The British Royals Pulled Out Their Biggest Heirloom Diamonds for the Windsor Castle State Banquet
King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed President Trump and the First Lady to Windsor Castle in dazzling natural diamond style.
Published: September 17, 2025
Written by: Jane Asher
This week, President Trump and the First Lady made their way across the pond in a US state visit to the British Royal Family. King Charles and Queen Camilla welcomed the couple to Windsor Castle on September 17th, alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, in a welcome reception and Windsor Castle State Banquet.
Here, see all the most dazzling jewels worn by the royal family at state banquets in both the United Kingdom and the United States.
Meet the Expert
- Justin Daughters is the Managing Director at Berganza, a London-based antique jewelry store.
- Daughters has an eye for quality, craftsmanship and the finest gemstones and is responsible for sourcing and acquiring pieces for the collection from across the world.
- His father, Paul Daughters, is the founder of Berganza and has grown up in the world of vintage and estate jewelry.
Kate Middleton’s State Visit Diamonds: Drop Earrings and the Prince of Wales Brooch
Before the Windsor Castle State banquet at night, the Princess of Wales chose a pair of diamond drop earrings and the famous Prince of Wales Feather Brooch, a diamond and emerald piece worn a few times by Princess Diana as a pendant necklace. “Crafted by Garrard in 1863, [it was] originally gifted by King Edward VII to Queen Alexandra [and] has been worn by successive Princesses of Wales, including Princess Diana,” confirms Justin Daughters, Managing Director at Berganza, a London-based antique jewelry store. “Its appearance today reinforces the enduring continuity of royal heritage and the deep personal connections these heirlooms embody.”
The piece features 18 round-cut diamonds encircled by smaller emeralds. They perfectly complemented her round, diamond-drop earrings and coatdress made by her go-to British designer Emilia Wickstead. Daughters has seen a renaissance in brooch-wearing, and today’s outfit only reinforces the trend. “Brooches have long carried deep symbolic meaning within the royal jewellery tradition, and the choices made by Camilla and Kate today beautifully illustrate how tradition and personal style remain intimately connected.”
Queen Camilla’s State Visit Diamonds: Historic Brooches and Heirloom Jewels
Queen Camilla’s brooch from the welcome event also has deep symbolism. She wore Queen Mary’s Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch, which features a sizable sapphire center stone surrounded by a double halo of diamonds. The inner circle features diamonds set on a scroll motif, and the outer circle is composed of 18 large, round-cut diamonds. It can be worn as a brooch on its own or used as a clasp for necklaces and bracelets.
“A treasured piece with an intriguing history, [it was] acquired by Queen Mary in the 1930s, [and] said to have originally belonged to the Imperial Russian Court, possibly a piece from the estate of Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia,” shares Daughters. “It features a striking central sapphire surrounded by diamonds in an ornate gold frame. The brooch has been worn by generations of royal women, including Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla’s choice to wear this brooch during the State Visit highlights her reverence for royal heritage and her link to a lineage of queens who preceded her.”
Queen Camilla changed into a different set of jewelry for the second part of their day, wearing a pearl necklace with a round diamond clasp and a floral, gold brooch with rubies and diamonds.
“These brooches are far more than decorative pieces; they are potent symbols of the wearers’ roles within the royal family and a testament to the rich history they uphold and continue,” shares Daughters.” Beyond their visual allure, brooches like these are increasingly popular for their ability to convey history, identity, and personal narrative. Antique craftsmanship and heirloom settings imbue them with emotional depth, making brooches meaningful statements of modern royal style rather than mere adornments.”
Kate Middleton’s State Banquet Tiara: The Lover’s Knot
For the Windsor Castle State Banquet at night, Kate arrived in the famous Lover’s Knot Tiara, one of her go-to pieces for formal events. She has worn the tiara for the Windsor Castle State Banquet during the first State Visit made by France this summer, at the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2023, and again at the same event from 2015 through 2018.
The tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary (Mary of Teck, Queen Elizabeth II’s paternal grandmother) in 1913 or 1914, crafted by the House of Garrard, the first official Crown Jeweler. Queen Mary requested the piece replicate that of a design owned by her maternal grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Duchess of Cambridge. Queen Mary provided one of her existing tiaras— the Ladies of England Tiara— and other diamond and pearl pieces from her jewelry box to use for the Lover’s Knot.
Consisting of 19 archways of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, the headpiece is capped with a diamond ribbon “lover’s knot” bow motif, including 19 dangling drop-shaped pearls. Previously, the tiara included an extra 19 pearls that pointed upright from each diamond curvature. They’ve since been replaced with standalone round-cut diamonds.
After Queen Mary passed away in 1953, she left the tiara to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. Her Royal Highness went on to wear the Lover’s Knot consistently throughout the 1950s, before shifting towards her more recent favorites like the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The Queen had the Lover’s Knot immortalized in portrait form in 1957, posing in the tiara for British painter Leonard Boden for the Royal Military Academy.
Queen Camilla’s State Banquet Tiara: Diamonds and Sapphires
Queen Camilla also sparkled in her own set of jewels at the Windsor Castle State Banquet, choosing a diamond and sapphire tiara that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II. It marked the first time she had worn a tiara since the French state visit in July. The piece, thought to date from the mid-20th century, features a striking array of sapphires framed by brilliant-cut diamonds, echoing the design language of her beloved sapphire suite. She paired the tiara with a substantial diamond rivière necklace and coordinating diamond drop earrings.
British Royal State Banquet Jewelry Traditions
These appearances underscore the enduring role of jewelry in royal ceremony. From brooches passed down by Queen Victoria to tiaras commissioned by Queen Mary, British royal state banquet jewelry is far more than ornament—it is history made visible. Each piece worn at the Windsor Castle State Banquet reflects not only the personal style of Kate and Camilla but also the continuity of royal heritage, connecting the present day to centuries of tradition.
