Out With the Old and in With the New; Queen Camilla and Kate Break Queen Elizabeth’s Long-Standing Tradition at Banquets
We’ve seen a shift in the way royal ladies have been dressing for state dinners, and it’s quite different from the late Queen Elizabeth‘s attire for the formal events.
Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) are leading the charge in how royal women can and should dress these days for official state banquets. Queen Elizabeth II’s preference was white or cream gowns at formal occasions. But Kate and Camilla have ushered in a new era with color.
Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne, has kept up her mother’s tradition of wearing white and cream dresses, but Kate and Camilla have shifted away from that. Dressing in different colors for these high-profile events allows their guests to have more freedom with their gown choices as well and not wonder if what they are wearing something that is too loud or a bit inappropriate.
When the royals welcomed German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender, Queen Camilla wore a teal lace gown by Fiona Clare, while the Princess of Wales donned a shimmering ice blue Jenny Packman number.
Someone who used to work for the royal family insisted that you would never catch the late queen wearing either color to a state affair.
Queen Camilla and Kate change state banquet dress codes
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler for seven years. During his time working for the now-monarch Harrold’s duties included those of valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. He also looked after Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate whenever they stayed at Highgrove House.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Harrold told Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “This is very interesting, if you look at images of Queen Elizabeth II and state banquets she attended, royal ladies always wore cream or off white dresses. You would never in a million years wear the colours we are now seeing the Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla wearing.
“It’s a real statement, and it’s very much saying, ‘This is a different era, this is a modern family with a different take on things.’ It’s very jazzy and trendy. It’s making a clear break from Queen Elizabeth’s very traditional and rigid stance. They used to all look identical, whereas now we just don’t know the color scheme or what they are going to wear.”
Harrold added, “I think that’s the modern royal ladies making a clear statement to say this is the royal dress code and the way we are going to do things. Behind closed doors, I don’t know whether it’s Camilla, Kate, or the king’s idea. I would imagine it’s a discussion among all of them, as I remember being at dinners where they would discuss items like this. It is fascinating that this is now the dress code.”
State banquet guests have also made headlines with their dress choices
We’ve seen distinguished guests at these dinners rocking a pop of color recently as well. Who can forget the dress Melania Trump wore to the U.S. State Banquet in September 2025?
Fabulous Digital‘s Fashion Editor Abby McHale noted, “Melania is usually someone with quite a sharp dress style, often wearing structured silhouettes … stepping out in a Burberry trench coat and grey Dior suit, so this yellow Bardot dress is her boldest look so far.
“The Bardot long sleeve gown with a purple waistband is from American designer Carolina Herrera. The bright yellow shade was certainly eye-catching. Yellow is a shade often associated with happiness, positivity and optimism, something maybe Melania [was] hoping to portray with this look.”
