Here are more photos of the Duchess of Cambridge at last night’s state banquet for the Trump family. All of the significant women wore white: Kate, Melania, Camilla, the Queen and Rose Hanbury (lol). Kate’s ruffled McQueen was… better than I expected, honestly. I mean, it is what it is and her style is her style, and within Kate’s style parameters, it looked good. What I guess I didn’t realize is that her look was also significant because this was the first time she got to wear her sash after the Queen made her a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. That happened recently – just weeks after the Rose Hanbury story blew up, and as I said at the time, it felt like a gift from the Queen – “thanks for sticking with my cheater grandson, here’s a sash.” It came eight years after Kate and William’s marriage, which seems like a long time.

It was at the state banquet last night that the Duchess of Cambridge debuted her sash as representative of her new royal order. Since April, when Kate Middleton celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary to Prince William, she has been a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian (GCVO) Order – and Donald, Melania and all the president’s men were the first to witness her elevation in status.

Note the blue, red and white sash and the badge featuring the Maltese cross – the regalia that comes with the Royal Victorian Order (RVO). The honour, that was founded by Queen Victoria, is for personal services to the monarch. It is the Queen’s way of showing gratitude for the way that the Duchess of Cambridge has conducted herself these past eight years; for eight successful years of marriage to her grandson and for producing lineage of the House of Windsor via three heirs. The award was considered a ‘very public show of support from the Queen’ – and is the very highest for services to Her Majesty.

[From Tatler]

Oh, here’s something else I forgot to point out – in addition to wearing the Lover’s Knot tiara – which is the tiara the Queen usually gives to Kate – Kate also wore the Queen Mother’s sapphire and diamond fringe earrings. As for the RVO, now Kate has the same “rank” as Camilla and Sophie (the Countess of Wessex), and she’s expected to show up at the annual Order of the Garter ceremony. Which will be happening soon:

The Duchess of Cambridge will be joined by two of the most glamourous royals at this year’s Order of the Garter ceremony, which will take place in Windsor Castle on 17 June. HELLO! understands that Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are flying in to support their husbands, King Felipe VI and King Willem-Alexander, as the Queen formally invests them with the Order’s insignia in the Throne Room of the Castle.

Letizia and Maxima will no doubt be in good hands, as Kate is due to attend alongside the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex. The mother-of-three has attended nearly every Garter ceremony since 2011, only missing it in 2015 and 2018 as she was on maternity leave. Her husband Prince William is a member of the Order.

[From Hello]

I’m sure all of the royal experts around here know this already, but I did NOT know that Princess Anne is the only Windsor woman who is a member of the Order of the Garter right now. Sophie is not, Kate is not, Camilla is not. Their husbands are members of the Order, but not them. Huh. I wonder if that will be the next prize. Going with the line of succession, it would seem like Camilla should be given the Order of the Garter before Kate though.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.