The Princess of Wales dazzled in diamonds tonight as she attended the luxurious State Banquet held in honour of the visiting South African President.

Kate, 40, put her best fashion foot forward in a gem embellished white gown from her favoured Jenny Packham as she joined Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla for the lavish occasion at Buckingham Palace, the first of its kind in three years.

She relied on her favourite tiara, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, which was a wedding gift to Princess Diana, paired with diamond and pearl drop earrings that also once belonged to her late mother-in-law, and wore a blue sash.

Other members of the Firm attending the opulent event included the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. 

Charles treated South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose state visit to the UK was in the planning before Queen Elizabeth II’s death, to a fine menu of stuffed Windsor pheasant and grilled brill with wild mushrooms tonight.

Mr Ramaphosa was greeted by more than 1,000 soldiers, 230 horses, seven military bands and two state coaches earlier today – before being an honoured guest at the State Banquet held by the King, Queen Consort and other members of the Royal Family.

Kate kept her brunette locks in an up-do and added a smattering of glamorous makeup to her features for this evening’s dinner, however, it was the sparkling tiara she opted for that stole the show. 

Once belonging to Princess Diana and now perhaps Kate’s most favoured piece of royal jewellery, the tiara was made by Royal jeweller Garrard in 1914 to Queen Mary’s personal design, from pearls and diamonds already in her family’s possession.

It was a copy of one owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who married the first Duke of Cambridge, seventh son of King George III, in 1818. In her will, Queen Mary left the tiara to the Queen who wore it frequently, including at an evening event in 1955.

In 1981 she gave it as a wedding present to Prince William’s mother, Diana, who wore it for the first time at the state opening of parliament that November. Diana also wore the tiara in 1985 on an official visit to Washington with Prince Charles.

And since her death the glistening headpiece has been worn by the Princess of Wales; in October 2018, Kate wore the tiara to a state banquet along with a silvery blue taffeta gown by one of her go-to designers, Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.

She teamed it with Princess Diana’s Collingwood pearl earrings and Queen Alexandra of Denmark’s wedding gift necklace, which was a favourite of the Queen Mother’s.

The Queen Mother wore the diamond and pearl sparkler on her 85th birthday in 1985 and during a formal appearance in 1964.

This evening’s event offered a lavish menu of two mains: grilled brill with wild mushrooms, truffles and sorrel sauce or ballotine of Windsor Pheasant filled with artichokes, quince compote and port sauce.

It is a departure from the banquets of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who often favoured Balmoral venison or lamb from one of the other royal estates when hosting foreign dignitaries. 

The sides included a selection of assorted Chantenay carrots, kale with roasted butternut squash, braised fondant potatoes and salad. Iced Vanilla Parfait with Caramelised Apples or coffee and bite-sized confectionery were the options for dessert.

There are wines on offer to accompany the luxurious food, including a Château Feytit-Clinet, Pomerol 2000 that tastes of ‘melted liquorish, cherries and earth’, plus £75 Taylor’s Vintage Port 1983.

Others include Ridgeview Blanc de Blancs 2016, an English sparkling wine that goes at £60 a bottle, a £77 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, a Morgeot, Clos de la Chapelle, Domaine Duc de Magenta 2014 which goes for £61 and Château Rieussec 1er Grand Cru Classé Sauternes 2007 which is £55.

Yesterday the kitchens at Buckingham Palace also created the national flowers of South Africa, Protea, out of sugar and edible colouring, for the State Banquet. 

Preparations for a State Banquet begin well over a year in advance, but the final ‘build’ of the State Banquet table starts around five days ahead of the arrival of the visiting Head of State.

The operational arm of Buckingham Palace, The Master of the Household’s department, take the main bulk of the responsibility for ensuring the Banquet runs according to plan.

After the Banqueting table is put together, and the decorative display is delivered, unpacked and positioned in place, the final touches are added. Place setting are measured at exactly 45 centimetres apart.

Preparations in the kitchens of Buckingham Palace, meanwhile, begin as close to the event as possible — with every dish handmade from scratch.

Every element of the State Banquet is inspected, checked and approved by the monarch, who will also view the table in person before retiring to get dressed.

Around 170 guests are expected, requiring 1,700 pieces of cutlery all laid out using rulers to get the precise spacing measurements correct.

Earlier today Charles III laid on a Guard of Honour for the South African president before joining him in a golden carriage ride to Buckingham Palace as he held his first state visit as King.

William and Kate were part of events for the first time, travelling to a luxury hotel in central London to meet Cyril Ramaphosa and accompany him to Horse Guards Parade for the start of the ceremonial welcome.

There, the monarch and Queen Consort shook hands with the president at the Royal Pavilion ahead of the glamorous state banquet.

The South African national anthem played shortly after Mr Ramaphosa’s arrival, while the Guard of Honour gave a Royal Salute.

National figures had gathered in the royal pavilion for the pomp and pageantry of the ceremonial welcome with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined by senior members of the Cabinet, as well as the Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas Lyons, and the Defence Chiefs of Staff.

More than 1,000 soldiers and over 230 horses took part in the ceremonial event and waiting on the parade ground were two immaculate lines of Foot Guards from Number 7 Company The Coldstream Guards.

Nearby in their gleaming breast plates and plumed helmets were the Sovereign’s Escort of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment – Life Guards and Blues and Royals, commanded by Major Robert Perera of the Blues and Royals.

Mr Ramaphosa then joined Charles and Camilla as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales for a carriage procession along The Mall. 

Upon reaching the Palace, they were met by a second Guard of Honour found by 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, while at the Tower of London, a 62-round gun salute was fired by the Honourable Artillery Company regiment to mark the President’s visit.

Following a private lunch at the Palace, the King invited Mr Ramaphosa to view an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to South Africa.

The President then visited Westminster Abbey, where he will laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, and took a tour, which included the memorial stone for Nelson Mandela, the South African President between 1994 and 1999.

After that, Mr Ramaphosa went to the Palace of Westminster, where he was welcomed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker, before delivering an address in the Royal Gallery to MPs and other guests.

After the private lunch at Buckingham Palace, in which they were joined by other members of the Royal Family, including the the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke of Gloucester.

The seemingly very jovial party was treated to a small exhibition of South African artefacts from the Royal Collection in the Picture Gallery.

It included a bowl given to the late Duke of Edinburgh to mark his attendance of Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as president in 1994 and a letter written by the Queen to welcome South Africa back into the Commonwealth after 33 years.

There was also a stunning chess set given to the duke by President Mandela when he visited London in 1996, the first by a South African head of state.

It features two tribes – the Zulus and the Ndebele – in place of the traditional black and white pieces. ‘This is rather wonderful,’ the King told the president proudly.

A photograph of the then Prince of Wales with President Mandela and the Spice Girls in South Africa in 1997 also caught the President’s eye. ‘Ah, there you are,’ he said with evident delight.

Many of the visiting delegation seemed particularly pleased to see pictures of the late Queen dotted around the exhibition. ‘I was there for that!’ exclaimed the South African foreign minister.

The late Queen had a particular affinity for the country after choosing it as the venue for her keynote 21st birthday speech in which she famously devoted her life to the service of others. 

Former President Donald Trump’s state visit in 2019 was the most recent by a world leader but his welcome was staged in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, so the official visit by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2019 was the last time a full ceremonial welcome was staged on Horse Guards Parade.

Lieutenant Colonel James Shaw, Brigade Major of Headquarters Household Division, who delivered the military ceremonial spectacle, said: ‘The state visit is a historic first: our first state visit for His Majesty the King and the President of South Africa, the first state visit in London since 2019, the first processional state visit on Horse Guards since 2018, and the first for almost everyone on parade.’

He added: ‘A huge amount of work has gone into preparing for the visit and we are very proud to support such an important national occasion.’

Climate change, trade and Charles’s vision for the Commonwealth are expected to be on the agenda during Mr Ramaphosa’s two-day visit. 

South Africa is the UK’s biggest trading partner on the continent with trade between both countries worth £10.7billion annually.

However, despite the wealth of pomp and pageantry on display, the visit risks being clouded by events in South Africa, where Ramaphosa risks impeachment for allegedly failing to report a major raid at his luxury farmhouse which saw raiders take £3.4million in cash.

It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today announced the UK and South Africa will join forces to ‘turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together’.

The next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership is being launched today, supporting South Africa’s economic growth through major infrastructure developments and offering increased access to UK companies to projects worth up to £5.37 billion over the next three years, said Downing Street.

Mr Sunak said: ‘South Africa is already the UK’s biggest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to turbocharge infrastructure investment and economic growth together.