Kate Middleton and Prince William portrait before a State Banquet in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on March 18, 2026,.Credit : Christianah Ebenezer/Kensington Royal/X

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Kate Middleton and Prince William recently attended the Nigerian state banquet on Wednesday, March 18, at Windsor Castle
Before the event, the pair posed for a stunning portrait photographed by Christianah Ebenezer
At the event, Kate wore Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, famously worn by Princess Diana, as well as earrings from Queen Elizabeth’s collection

Kate Middleton and Prince William posed for a special portrait ahead of the Nigerian state banquet.

The Prince and Princess of Wales posed together ahead of the Wednesday, March 18 event in a recently published portrait, captured by Christianah Ebenezer. The royal couple attended the banquet in St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla, who hosted Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his wife, first lady Oluremi Tinubu, for their state visit to the U.K.

Before the banquet, they posed for a portrait, with Princess Kate, 44, wearing Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. The X account for the couple posted the image to the social media site. “A special portrait taken ahead of yesterday evening’s Nigeria State Banquet 🇳🇬🇬🇧,” the X post read.

In the photo, the Princess of Wales wore a dress by Andrew Gn, with a green hue that nods to the colors of the Nigerian flag. Her additional accessories included earrings from the late Queen Elizabeth’s collection, King Charles’ Royal Family Order (a badge featuring the monarch’s portrait) and the Royal Victorian Order sash and star.

Kate’s tiara was also notably worn by Princess Diana. The piece has been regarded as one of Kate’s go-to royal headpieces, among the five tiaras she has worn throughout her royal life. Kate wore the tiara twice in 2025 for the state banquets honoring the U.S. and French presidents’ visits.

Kate Middleton and Prince William portrait before a State Banquet in St George’s Hall, at Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on March 18, 2026.Christianah Ebenezer/Kensington Royal/X

The Nigerian state banquet marked Princess Kate’s first occasion wearing a tiara in 2026. The year prior, she had three tiara moments: the aforementioned state banquets in honor of the U.S. and French presidents, as well as the December state banquet, when the German president came for a visit. There, she wore her biggest tiara to date: Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara.

It also diplomatically served as a tribute to the German guests: it was crafted in 1853 for Queen Victoria under the direction of her husband, Prince Albert, who hailed from Germany.

Similar to the March 18 state banquet, the Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed for a portrait to mark the occasion.

In the Dec. 3 portrait, they both oozed glamour in the photo taken by Alex Bramall at Frogmore House.”Looking forward to a special banquet tonight in Windsor 🇩🇪🇬🇧,” they captioned the snap.

Bethan Holt, author of The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Style, recently spoke to PEOPLE about Kate’s fashion choices for the various state banquets, calling her recent ensembles a part of “a subtle style evolution.”

“She just seems to be broadening her horizons a little bit, but mostly all three looks were simply a masterclass in sartorial diplomacy,” Holt, told PEOPLE. “There’s always a little bit of anticipation, and she ticked all the boxes of diplomacy, glamour and appropriateness.”

“I think fashion-wise, it was a safe choice compared to her other state dinner looks this year, but this was a real ‘wow’ princess moment for her. It’s not something she does often, but I think she does recognize that as a princess, the public will want to see her looking like a princess every so often, and for a state banquet, she can really tick that box — and she did,” Holt said.