See Her in Every Headpiece

Kate Middleton had three shining tiara moments in 2025.

The Princess of Wales, 43, wore tiaras three times this year to state banquets at Windsor Castle, slipping on a sparkler for diplomatic dinners held in honor of visits from France, the United States and Germany.

State visits are an important way for Great Britain to bolster its relationships with other nations, but it was unusual for the British royal family to host so many state visits in one year. The British royals last hosted three state visits in one year during Queen Elizabeth‘s reign in 1988.

This year’s busy schedule came with a tiara moment for Princess Kate at each state banquet.

On July 8, the Princess of Wales shimmered in Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for the Windsor Castle bash celebrating French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the U.K.

Kate Middleton and Prince William before the French state banquet on July 8, 2025.

Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace

The moment was memorable as Princess Kate’s first time wearing a tiara in almost two years, as she reduced her royal duties in March 2024 after announcing that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. Princess Kate said in September 2024 that she completed chemotherapy treatment and announced in January that she is in remission, resuming a fuller schedule of royal duties since.

Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara has been Kate’s most frequently worn tiara since she married Prince William in 2011, and it has a sentimental connection to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. The dazzling tiara, which features diamonds and pearls in an arched design, was a go-to for Diana, too, and one she wore often as Princess of Wales during her marriage to the future King Charles.

Princess Kate glittered in Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot again for the state banquet commemorating U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit on Sept. 17, having a true princess moment in a white Phillipa Lepley gown with a golden overcoat. 

Kate Middleton and President Donald Trump during the U.S. state banquet at Windsor Castle on Sept. 17, 2025.

YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty

The Princess of Wales arguably saved the best for last, however, when she made her debut in Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara at the state banquet honoring German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s visit on Dec. 3.

Princess Kate stopped the show by taking the heirloom tiara out of the royal vault and becoming the first to wear it in public in 20 years. It marked the largest sparkler she had ever worn and became only her fifth different tiara ever.

Princess Kate twinkled in the ruby and diamond tiara that the German-born Prince Albert had commissioned for Queen Victoria in 1853, and there was a secret meaning to its wear.

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the German state banquet at Windsor Castle on Dec. 3, 2025.

Aaron Chown / POOL / AFP via Getty

In her will, Queen Victoria designated the Oriental Circlet Tiara from her beloved husband as a headpiece that could only be worn by queens and future queens, The Court Jeweller reported, making its use truly exclusive.

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! 

Prince William and Kate Middleton at the German state banquet at Windsor Castle on Dec. 3, 2025.

Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty

As the wife of Prince William, who is heir to the throne, Princess Kate is destined to become queen consort one day, giving her the rare opportunity to sport the sparkler.