Queen Consort Camilla Pays Tribute To Queen Elizabeth At King Charles' First State Banquet

King Charles' wife Camilla wore a diamond and sapphire tiara that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II for her tiara debut as queen consort this week.

Queen Consort Camilla, 75, paid tribute to her late mother-in-law by wearing Queen Elizabeth's Belgian Sapphire Tiara to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace Tuesday, People reported. Charles welcomed Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, to the U.K. in his first state visit as King.

Queen Consort Camilla paired the sparkler with the Belgian Sapphire Tiara's coordinating necklace and bracelet. But she opted not to wear the earrings that came with the set, which is known as the King George VI Victorian Suite.

King George gave the set to his daughter, then-Princess Elizabeth, as a wedding gift in 1947. The jewels are believed to date back to the mid-1800s. The bracelet was added to the suite in the 1960s.

For Tuesday's state banquet, Camilla looked regal in a lace evening gown designed by Bruce Oldfield. She also donned the blue Order of the Garter sash and the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order star and sash.

The Queen Consort has a bolder taste in tiaras than Prince William's wife Kate Middleton, who wore her go-to Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara to the same event.

Camilla has chosen larger diadems like the Delhi Durbar and Greville Tiara for diplomatic dinners, while Middleton wore the Lover's Knot and Lotus Flower tiaras for previous state occasions.

The reception was the first tiara event for the royals in nearly three years. The South Africa state visit was also the first hosted by a British monarch since then-President Donald Trump's visit to the U.K. in 2019 and the first under King Charles' reign.

Camilla will be crowned alongside King Charles in a ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury on May 6, 2023, and intrigues continue to shroud what crown she might wear for the event.

She could opt for the crown made for the coronation of the last queen consort, Charles' grandmother Queen Elizabeth, later known as the Queen Mother. However, it contains the controversial Koh-i-Nûr diamond as its centerpiece.

The 105.6-carat gem was initially acquired by the then-East India Company and brought to Britain before it ended up as part of Queen Victoria's collection. Demands have grown in India for the diamond to be returned, and the gem is also subject to ownership claims in Pakistan and Afghanistan.