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The Princess of Wales dazzled in a glittering tiara tonight as she attended her first state banquet in almost two years with a whole host of famous faces. Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara and red gown with caped back detailing by Sarah Burton for Givenchy as she joined the King, Queen, her husband Prince William and some 160 guests at Windsor Castle for the white tie dinner, which is the glitzy highlight of the French state visit.

French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are being honoured with the opulent display of royal hospitality in the historic St George’s Hall. Kate, who was diagnoised with cancer in early 2024 and revealed earlier this year she is now in remission, last attended a state banquet in November 2023, when the Royal Family honoured the South Korean president at Buckingham Palace.

Just last week, she talked about her ‘rollercoaster’ cancer recovery, its life-changing impact, and putting on a “brave face” during a visit to Colchester Hospital. Kensington Palace only confirmed she would be attending tonight’s glamorous dinner after she carried out royal duties to mark the start of the state visit earlier in the day.

Before the event, William and Kate gave a sneak peek of their outfits by posting a photo of themselves on social media with the caption: “Ready for what promises to be a wonderful State Banquet this evening in Windsor.” Kate also wore her Royal Family order from King Charles for the first time and brought a lily of the valley embroided evening clutch.

She was seated next to President Macron and the pair chatted ahead of the start of the King’s toast, while on her other side was art historian Christophe Leribault, chairman of the Musee D’Orsay. Kate studied history of art at university.

Other royals joining the dinner tonight were the Edward and Sophie, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh as well as Princess Anne and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Queen Camilla wore an ivory silk and crepe evening gown by Fiona Clare and a diamond and sapphire tiara that belonged to the late Queen. She also wore the Legion d’Honeur French sash, Garter Star and the King’s family order.

The star-studded dinner not only saw royals invited and famous faces from the celebrity world were also there, including Sir Mick Jagger, who owns a chataeu in France. Other attendees included actress Kirsten Scott Thomas who lives in France, First Dates star Fred Siriex, who is French, and former Lioness goalkeeper Mary Earps, who recently played for Paris St Germain. She was seen shaking hands and laughing with Prime Minister Keir Starmer before the start of the dinner as they stood and chatted.

Meanwhile, the King turned to his friend and King’s Foundation ambassador, French chef Raymond Blanc, to put together the menu in culinary collaboration with the Royal Household, designing the first course and the dessert. Blanc was in the kitchens at Windsor on Tuesday evening making sure the dishes were served to perfection

The menu, which was written in French as is the custom for state banquets, began with a selection of tender summer vegetables from the Gardens of Le Manoir with Sage, Raw Tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Dressing.

The next course was Supreme of Rhug Estate Chicken with Norfolk Asparagus and Tarragon Cream, followed by Iced Blackcurrant Parfait on a Blackcurrant-soaked Sponge with Elderflower Jelly for dessert. Buckingham Palace described the collaboration as being “in the spirit of the Entente Cordial”.

In a tradition started by the King, a cocktail was also created specially for the occasion, this time called L’entente. It combines British gin with lemon curd and French pastis, garnished with dried French cornflowers and English roses.

There was a selection of French wines as well as Taylor’s 1977 Vintage Port at a 1948 Grand Champagne Cognac, chosen to reflect the years both Mr Macron and the King were born.

Flowers adorning the tables were picked from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Windsor Great Park. After the banquet they will be delivered to hospices and care homes for the elderly. Meanwhile following the banquet, guests will move to the Windsor Castle Music Room for a special performance by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

The dinner marks the end of a busy day for the Prince and Princess of Wales who were on hand to greet Mr and Mrs Macron at RAF Northolt this morning as they touched down in the UK.

The princess has already channelled diplomatic royal dressing in honour of the King’s guests, choosing to wear French fashion house Christian Dior for her daytime engagements. Her earrings belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales and the pearl necklace was from the late Queen’s collection.

The blush pink Christian Dior jacket is the 30 Montaigne Rose Des Vents Bar Jacket and a piece from the 2024 collection, and was paired with a tulle skirt. It was reimagined by Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was inspired by the original first created in 1947 by Dior himself. Kate’s sleek hat was by Jess Collett.

The princess was charmed with a kiss to the hand by Mr Macron as she and William met the French leader as he disembarked from his plane at RAF Northolt. Mr Macron took the princess’s hand and leaned forward to deliver an air kiss towards it. Meanwhile, the President warmly shook the prince’s hand and held onto his arm as they chatted.

State banquets have moved from the Buckingham Palace ballroom to Windsor for the next few years while reservicing work at the London royal residence continues and starts to affect the state rooms.

Kate has attended a handful of engagements in recent months including Trooping the Colour, the annual Order of the Garter service and a visit to a V&A storage facility in London. But she missed Royal Ascot in June after seeking to find the right balance to public appearances following her cancer treatment.

Katie Price has been blasted by Peta after footage emerged of one of her bald cats with sunburn in the recent heatwave

Reality star Katie Price has been blasted for letting one of her £2,000-a-pop bald cats get sunburnt during the last heatwave.

The star – branded a “serial killer” by charity Peta over the deaths of at least eight of her animals – has five sphynxes. In a video, she showed one with a red head and back.

Stroking the cat, she said: “Oh Kevin you have been in the sun today, you have got sun burnt despite us putting sun cream on you… look at his little face.” The caption accompanying the video said: “Trying to keep the cats out of the sun is hard work.”

But Peta’s Elisa Allen claimed the former model had repeatedly ignored advice on pet care. She said: “Anyone who warns Katie not to hurt the animals she takes in might as well be screaming into the wind, for all she seems to care. And here we go again: her cat is sunburnt – something she was likely warned about when acquiring a gimmick cat, bred to look odd and be hairless.”

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Peta says cats with “light or no fur can burn easily, which is just one reason to keep them indoors.” It adds: “If they do go into a secure garden, apply vet-approved sunscreen and ensure they have plenty of shade. Cat guardians must stay alert, if you spot redness, swelling, or signs of infection, seek veterinary care immediately.”

The charity has previously called for an injunction to stop Katie from having animals. It also offered her £5,000 to never acquire more animals, following multiple tragic deaths.

Four dogs – Blade, Queenie, Sharon and Sparkle – were killed by cars near her home. And one of Katie’s horses was hit by a car and killed in 2017 after escaping from a field. In 2020, dog Rolo suffocated in her home after getting stuck in an electric armchair. Katie admitted giving him cannabis oil, but said she was unaware it was illegal to do so without a vet prescription.

The mum-of-five has also announced the death of a chameleon and told how she had to put down another designer cat, Frog. “He had a neurological disease’” she wrote in her memoir. “Within days it had spread through his body. So I cuddled him in my arms and he had to be put to sleep.”

In February, she hit back at critics of her record with animals, saying: ‘It’s circumstances that were out of my hands. It’s no lack of me not looking after them. I love animals, I love nurturing.”