The Princess of Wales selected a Sarah Burton for Givenchy night robe for this night’s state dinner.
The dinner honors French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte Macron, as they wrap up day considered one of their three-day go to to the UK. Buckingham Palace shared a video of the King and Queen inspecting the preparations earlier than the banquet. The go to is being hosted at Windsor Fortress as a result of ongoing renovation work at Buckingham Palace.
✨ Ultimate preparations are going down forward of this night’s State Banquet in St George’s Corridor, Windsor Fortress. pic.twitter.com/timKDXAi8i
— The Royal Household (@RoyalFamily) July 8, 2025
Extra on the setting, St. George’s Corridor, from this Specific article.
The banquet seemed completely different from those held within the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace. As a substitute of sitting in a horseshoe form, friends had been seated both facet of a formidable 50-meter mahogany desk.
The extremely polished desk, which mirrored the coats of arms adorning the arched ceiling above, is the longest desk within the nation and chateau workers began assembling it final Wednesday. As a substitute of sitting on the identical facet of the desk, the King and Queen sat reverse each other within the centre.
And from The Impartial’s protection.
The spectacular St George’s Corridor is the most important room within the citadel at 55.5 metres lengthy (180ft) and 9 metres huge (29.5ft), and the 50 metre (164ft) desk stretches its full size.
The corridor’s gothic fashion ceiling with spectacular oak beam roof is studded with the coats of arms of each single Knight of the Garter for the reason that order was based in 1348. Its partitions and ceiling had been decimated within the Windsor Fortress hearth of 1992 and needed to be painstakingly rebuilt.
The Mirror experiences: “Flowers adorning the tables have been picked from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Fortress and Windsor Nice Park. After the banquet, they are going to be delivered to hospices and care houses for the aged.”
The King, Queen, President Macron, and Mrs. Macron as they’re about to move into dinner. 
The Prince and Princess of Wales. That is the primary state banquet the Princess has attended since November 2023, when the Royal Household honoured South Korea with a state dinner. 
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. 
The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. 
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are celebrating their 53rd wedding ceremony anniversary right this moment. 
Here’s a video exhibiting attendees as they walked into the dinner. Chances are you’ll observe the crimson, white, and blue theme within the robes worn by the Royal Household and Mrs. Macron.
The arrival of Their Majesties on the French State Banquet pic.twitter.com/CWCCmWNOrp
— Daniel J. Devane 🇬🇧 (@DanielJDevane) July 8, 2025
Beneath, a view of the corridor as friends had been seated. Embed from Getty ImagesPresident Macron was seated between the King and the Princess of Wales, whereas Mrs. Macron sat between the Queen and Prince of Wales on the other facet of the desk. Embed from Getty ImagesAnother view of the Princess, President Macron, and King Charles. Embed from Getty ImagesMore on a few of tonight’s different friends by way of ITV’s story.
Sir Elton John and Sir Mick Jagger topped the star-studded visitor record for the white-tie banquet held in honour of French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse Brigitte.
The Rocket Man singer was joined by his husband, David Furnish, whereas the Rolling Stones’ frontman was accompanied by his fiancée Melanie Hamrick.
On the Duchess of Gloucester’s left, Sir Elton John, and husband David Furnish.
Embed from Getty ImagesMick Jagger and Melanie Hamrick.Embed from Getty Photos
King Charles delivered remarks.Embed from Getty ImagesThe BBC has extra on his speech.
After an preliminary welcome to Windsor Fortress to the Macrons spoken in French, King Charles says a lot has occurred since his royal tour of France in 2023, and that the UK and France “have stood ever nearer since then”. He speaks of “a thousand years of shared historical past and tradition between our two peoples” and mentions the Royal Household’s private connections to France.
The King ticked off a collection of cultural references that introduced collectively France and Britain – such because the French Impressionist painter Monet depicting scenes in London, Jane Birkin performing in French and Thierry Henry scoring targets for Arsenal.
French President Macron additionally made formal remarks. Embed from Getty ImagesWe return to the BBC’s dwell weblog, which is masking the occasion.
…he begins by thanking King Charles for welcoming himself and his spouse to Windsor Fortress. “An indication of your nice courtesy and a testomony to your friendship with France,” he says.
Macron additionally alternates between French and English throughout his speech.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd from The Telegraph’s piece.
He additionally spoke warmly of the late Elizabeth II, repeating his phrases after her dying to inform the Royal household and British friends: “To you, she was your Queen; to us, she was The Queen.”
There have been toasts.Embed from Getty ImagesMore about tonight’s menu from this Occasions of London piece.
For starters, the chef Raymond Blanc has ready a choice of tender summer time greens with sage, uncooked tomato and further virgin olive oil dressing. This will probably be adopted by a supreme of Rhug Property rooster with Norfolk asparagus and tarragon cream, and an iced blackcurrant-soaked sponge with elderflower jelly.
A bespoke cocktail for the event has additionally been created in honour of the Entente Cordiale. L’entente mixes British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, with a sprinkling of English roses and French cornflowers on prime.
The Telegraph experiences, “After dinner, port and cognac from the years of the King and president’s respective births will probably be served to friends, together with Dame Kristen Scott Thomas.” Visitors moved from St. George’s Corridor to the Music Room after dinner for a live performance by the BBC Nationwide Orchestra of Wales.
Now, for a fast rundown of a few of the ensembles worn tonight, starting with the Queen. She wore an embroidered ivory silk and crepe night robe by Fiona Clare, accompanied by the Belgian Sapphire Tiara, a sapphire bracelet, and a sapphire necklace given to Queen Elizabeth by her father, King George VI. The glittering gems are a part of Queen Elizabeth II’s sapphire suite. The Court docket Jeweller experiences that the sapphire earrings are from the Queen’s private assortment.
She additionally wore the comparatively new Royal Household Order of Charles III, the crimson French Legion of Honor sash, and the Garter Star. Beneath, a better have a look at the household order.
Extra from this Scotland Herald story.
Household Orders badges are worn at formal night events by feminine members of the royal household and personally bestowed by the sovereign, and are an indication of the significance of the wearer throughout the royal family.
His miniature portrait is painted on an artificial materials referred to as polymin, quite than on ivory as was the custom, and the diamonds are spare ones – current unfastened jewels from the Royal Assortment quite than newly acquired.
Charles personally chosen the pale blue color of the ribbon which relies on the bow on the Household Order of his great-grandfather King George V.
Brigitte Macron selected a sapphire blue robe with caped shoulders and outsized rhinestone or crystal button detailing on the shoulders for tonight’s dinner. I have no idea the designer, however I’ll replace the submit if I study something extra. 
The Duchess of Edinburgh was within the Delphine gown by Suzannah London, along with her aquamarine tiara, and footwear by Emmy London.Embed from Getty ImagesAnd now for the Princess of Wales, in a bespoke robe by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, seen right here in a photograph launched by Kensington Palace simply forward of tonight’s dinner. 
The gown was described as “a darkish crimson silk creponne gathered night robe, with caped again detailing, designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy.” Silk creponne is outlined as “a sort of light-weight, diaphanous silk featured by lengthwise wrinkles” on this website. Beneath, one other view of the robe, exhibiting the layers and circulate of the skirt, a spherical neckline with pleats, and an utilized waistband.
Ideas on tonight’s look from this British Vogue piece.
The Princess of Wales’s selection of Sarah Burton for Givenchy is a transparent assertion of style diplomacy: a design by a British girl for a French style home, it serves as a sartorial image of the symbiotic relationship between the 2 European international locations. Earlier right this moment, Kate wore Dior to welcome the Macrons to the UK – the primary time we’ve seen her sporting the French heritage home for a public outing.
Dressing the Princess for the state banquet is without doubt one of the highest profile moments to date for Burton throughout her tenure as Givenchy’s inventive director. Her appointment was introduced in September 2024 and she or he confirmed her debut assortment for the home in March 2025.
The Princess’s night bag, a hard-sided clutch with a Lily of the Valley motif, was additionally by Givenchy. 
The Princess returned to her favourite tiara, the Lover’s Knot, created in 1913 by Garrard for Queen Mary, with its elegant arches and drop-shaped pearls suspended as pendants. 
The Princess additionally wore the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings this night, created by Cartier. 
The Court docket Jeweller gives extra on this piece concerning the earrings.
The diamond and platinum earrings had been made by Cartier in London over a interval of years, beginning in 1918 and ending in 1929. Initially they had been a easy pair of good drop earrings. In 1922, they had been lengthened utilizing twelve further diamonds. The earrings had been accomplished of their current kind in February 1929, when ten extra diamonds had been added.
The Royal Assortment notes that every earring options “a lexicon of contemporary diamond cuts.” These embody a trio of pair-shaped diamond pendants, plus diamonds in baguette, baton, emerald, half-moon, trapeze, and sq. cuts. The last word impact is that of a contemporary girandole or chandelier earring, a technical and distinctive tackle an earring form that has been fashionable for hundreds of years.
The earrings had been a favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Beneath, the Queen sporting the earrings throughout a July 2010 go to to Canada. 
The Princess first wore the earrings for the June 2023 royal wedding ceremony in Jordan. 
The Princess wore them once more for the December 2023 diplomatic reception. As you probably seen, on each events, they had been paired with the Lover’s Knot tiara. 
The Princess additionally wore the Royal Household Orders of each King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II, in addition to the Nigel Milne triple-strand pearl bracelet, which initially belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. The second and third pictures seen beneath are from earlier events, not tonight’s dinner. I’ve not been in a position to license terrific close-ups from the banquet tonight, sadly. 
And the Princess wore the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and the GCVO sash and star, additionally proven when worn on earlier engagements. 
On her sash, the Princess wore the Rosette of the French Nationwide Order of Advantage, awarded by President Emmanuel Macron. 
For those who haven’t seen right this moment’s earlier submit showcasing the Princess’s Dior separates, this hyperlink will take you there. 
VIDEOS:
The Royal Household Channel gives 5+ minutes of protection from tonight’s dinner. Sky Information has virtually 35 minutes of protection on this video.
