Catherine, Princess of Wales, during the State Banquet held at Buckingham Palace in November. Photo / AP
Catherine, Princess of Wales, during the State Banquet held at Buckingham Palace in November. Photo / AP
King Charles and President Joe Biden may have shared a few giggles during their visit, but his trip won’t see the royal carpet rolled out.
People magazine has reported the President of the United States’ visit with the King earlier this week was a significant one but as some royal fans may have noticed, it didn’t include a palace banquet - nor did it see Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales sporting tiaras.
According to the US magazine, this is because Biden’s UK visit was classified as a working visit, not an official state visit - which is usually marked with a formal dinner where royal women wear crowns.
The White House has revealed to the magazine however that a state visit may occur in April next year, adding the invitation was extended by Charles in a call prior to his coronation.
Camilla wore the Belgian Sapphire Tiara during the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 22, 2022. Photo / Getty Images
The most recent state visit from a US president occurred in June 2019, when the late Queen Elizabeth was the Commonwealth’s monarch and welcomed Donald Trump.
At the time she hosted him for a three-day state visit which saw herself, Princess Anne, Queen Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, then known as the Countess of Wessex, wear royal attire complete with tiaras for the banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Princess Kate was not present for the dinner.
Despite Biden’s quick working trip, King Charles has not missed his opportunity to host his first state banquet - that was marked by President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit in November last year.
The banquet was held at Buckingham Palace and was a very special moment for the Queen and Princess of Wales as it was the first time they wore a tiara under the reign of Charles.
Queen Camilla was seen wearing a sapphire and diamond tiara that Queen Elizabeth previously wore during a 2015 state visit with the President of China Xi Jinping, while Princess Kate wore Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara.
Meghan Markle wore Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara for her wedding. Photo / AP
When do royals wear crowns?
There are many complicated rules for royal family members surrounding etiquette and permissions, one of those is when it’s appropriate to wear a tiara.
Marie Claire has reported there are 10 rules royal women must follow when it comes to crown-wearing including not being able to wear one after 5pm, unless it is for a wedding.
Other rules include:
Wedding day
Nowadays, it is rare to see a royal in a tiara, but one day that you will certainly see them in one is their wedding day.
Whether they were born into the royal family or marrying in - like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle - for most royal women, they will wear their first-ever tiara on their wedding day.
It sounds surprising but according to another of the crown rules, royal women are not allowed to wear tiaras before they are 18, and while they don’t usually wear a tiara until their wedding day, if they are gifted one on their 18th birthday, they are allowed to start wearing them to appropriate royal events.
Princess Beatrice wore the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara at her wedding. Photo / Benjamin Wheeler, Pool
If you’re a keen royal fan, chances are you would have noticed that crowns don’t get shared around a lot. If Kate wears the Lover’s Knot, you won’t see Camilla ever wearing it.
This is because the crowns are distributed with a lifetime loan and once it’s loaned to someone, it’s only to be worn by them for the rest of their life.
In addition to the lifetime loan, another rule states the royal women are unable to pick and choose a tiara at their will, it is specifically given to them by the monarch or they will be given a small selection to choose from.
A third rule surrounding the loan of a tiara states that the history of it matters. For example, Kate’s Cambridge Lover’s Knot was reportedly loaned to her as it was previously owned by a past Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Augusta of Hesse.
The Princess of Wales wore the Lover's Knot tiara during the State Banquet held at Buckingham Palace. Photo / AP
Secret stitching
The royal crowns aren’t exactly light, nor easy things to wear, this is why whenever they are worn, royal women will usually have a piece of hair braided across their head and the crown sewn into it.
This leads into another rule which states the “band” or wire base of the tiara that sits in the hair, must be hidden from the public.
When wearing the tiara, you will only see the design, you won’t see the band at the back of it. Sometimes this can be wrapped in velvet the same colour as the royal’s hair, other times it can have a small piece of elastic which is easily tucked into the hair when it’s tied up.
And don’t think the rules for how to wear a tiara end there. A further rule states the placement is also very important and should be worn slightly further back on the head compared to the 1920s where royal women were seen to wear them closer to the front of their head and in some occasions even on the top of their forehead.
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) at a state reception in Hobart, Tasmania, April 1983. Photo / Getty Images
Appropriate occasions
Tiaras are only appropriate for certain events. You will almost always spot them at royal weddings as well as state visits, inaugurations and coronations, balls and royal dinners, otherwise, they are to be left at home.
Another rule for the appropriate times to wear tiaras states they are not allowed to be taken overseas, unless King Charles orders it.
He may only allow it for foreign royal weddings and diplomatic visits - an example of this was when Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara at the royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa of Jordan at Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan earlier this year.
