THE DARING DUCHESS
In Diana’s tiara and plunging dress, duchess outshines the Spanish queen
SHE sailed in, resplendent in her reputation as one of Europe’s most fashionable royals.
Queen Letizia of Spain was on her third outfit of the day and had already won over a smitten Prince Charles, when she arrived for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace last night.
There, however, she met her match... in a dazzling – and rather daring – Duchess of Cambridge, who looked stunning in a lacy plunging gown and Diana’s tiara.
Letizia’s stunning red dress was a nod to the Spanish national colours.
Kate retorted with a pink Marchesa gown, along with the diamond and pearl Lover’s Knot tiara, a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales.
The state banquet for the King and Queen of Spain was not merely a diplomatic landmark but also a dazzling display of the sort of jewellery we only tend to see when two monarchies get together.
While our Queen wore the tiara she herself commissioned using the aquamarines given to her by the people of Brazil, matching her satin aquablue brocade state dress, Queen Letizia wore the Fleur de Lys Tiara first worn by Spain’s British-born Queen Victoria Eugenie in 1906.
Earlier she chose a sunshine yellow suit and hat for the royal procession to Buckingham Palace before changing into a deep red coat dress that Prince Charles seemed to take a shine to as she arrived at Clarence House for afternoon tea. The clearly impressed prince pulled her especially close for a welcoming embrace.
This is the first state visit by an EU head of state since last year’s Brexit referendum. As the UK begins to recalibrate its relationship with Europe, the monarchy will, increasingly, be called upon to apply the sort of soothing balm we saw yesterday.
From the full clanking splendour of the Household Cavalry carriage procession to tea with the Prince and even a Palace display of sherry, Brit- ain was laying it on thicker than the sturdiest Andalusian gazpacho. Of Gibraltar there was no explicit mention, let alone the Armada.
The culmination was last night’s state banquet as King Felipe appeared proudly wearing his latest gift from the Queen. In addition to receiving a magnificent book of prints from the Royal Archives, the King had been made an honorary Knight of the Order of the Garter. As well as being Europe’s newest monarch (with just three years on the Throne), the 49-year-old King is also the tallest – at 6ft 5in. Last night, he towered over his host as he saluted her as ‘an example for the entire world’ in the year of her Sapphire Jubilee.
Britain and Spain, he said, had a ‘special relationship which, through innumerable human, social and economic exchanges has resulted in a strong shared vision of the most important challenges the world must address.’
The nearest he got to the tricky topics of Gib and Brexit was a pledge ‘to address any issues on which we may disagree with the greatest goodwill’.
The Queen saluted Spain as ‘reliable partners and friends’, declaring that ‘a relationship like ours, founded on great strengths, will ensure that both our nations prosper, now and in the future, whatever challenges arise.’ Both spoke warmly of each other’s expats.
Earlier, the King had kissed
‘The greatest goodwill’
his distant cousin on both cheek and hand as they met at the formal welcome on Horse Guards Parade.
As he has done on every state visit anyone can recall, it was the Duke of Edinburgh who accompanied the King on his inspection of the Guard of Honour, formed by the Irish Guards. The Duke will no longer be expected at such events follow- ing his retirement from public duties in the autumn. Do not be surprised if he appears at the next one, however. Yesterday, he stood almost as ramrod straight as the Guards.
The carriage procession was enormous, thanks to the huge ministerial entourage accompanying the King on his visit. The Spanish have packed the political kitchen sink for this trip.
The welcome lunch was followed by the exchange of gifts. While the King received his book and Garter, Queen Letizia was given a cashmere scarf. There were similar gifts in return. For Prince Philip, a cloak of Merino wool and for the Queen, a book of 67 postcards. These were, in fact, love letters between the Spanish King Alfonso XIII and his Balmoral- born sweetheart, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Queen Victoria’s granddaughter) whom he met on his 1905 visit to Britain.
This love-match featured prominently in the private exhibition which the Queen had arranged for her guests in the Picture Gallery.Most of the items on display belong to the Royal Collection but the Duke of Edinburgh had lent a prized specimen from his own collection – a Salvador Dali watercolour. Based on the British coat of arms, it features the British Crown looking suspiciously like the Rock of Gibraltar.
Alongside it was a display of sherry. It used to be a tradition, until 1790, that the Poet Laureate received an annual butt of sherry. Since that equals 720 bottles of the stuff, it’s surprising that any of them got round to producing any verse. However, the Sherry Institute of Spain kindly revived the tradition for Ted Hughes in 1984 and still does the same for his successors. There was no sherry on the menu at last night’s state banquet but there were debuts for two younger members of the Royal Family. Prince Harry was included in the Royal Procession into dinner, escorting the Marchioness of Cholmondeley, wife of the Lord Great Chamberlain.
Also present was Lady Gabriella Windsor, accompanying her mother, Princess Michael of Kent, in the absence of Prince Michael.
A previous Queen Elizabeth might have enjoyed ‘singeing the King of Spain’s beard’. This King of Spain happens to have a beard, too. But today’s Queen Elizabeth and her family are under strict Foreign Office orders to stroke it.