The Duchess of Cambridge attended the State Dinner for King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain in mid-July 2017 at Buckingham Palace alongside other members of the British Royal Family. This was the second state dinner that she has taken part in.
State Banquet in honour of King & Queen of Spain attended by The Earl & Countess of Wessex. As for Sophie pics it's like 'Where's Waldo'... pic.twitter.com/6jjwMK2LSV
— Countess Wessex Blog (@HRHWessexBlog) July 13, 2017
For the event, Catherine wore a customized blush pink lace Marchesa gown. Her version added long sleeves to the originally sleeveless gown. She also wore Her Majesty's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bandeau necklace with the Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara. Unlike the other female members of the British Royal Family, she has not yet been given the family order to wear at such events.
For her part, Queen Letizia wore a red off the shoulder gown by Felipe Varela with the Fleur de Lys Tiara. She had a diamond bracelet on and wore diamond drop earrings while carrying a red clutch by Magrit.
The meal included poached fillet of salmon trout, medallion of Scottish beef with bone marrow and truffles, full-bodied Portuguese wine, and dark chocolate and raspberry tarts.
Other members of the British Royal Family who attended were: The Queen, Prince Philip, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Anne with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
This was Prince Harry's first state banquet, while it is expected to have been Prince Philip's last as he retired in the autumn of this year.
While dining, the guests were treated to music like the theme from the Bond film Skyfall, Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," and tunes like "Lady Of Spain" and "the Royal Spanish Waltz."
The King of Spain made sure to pay tribute to the close relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom while giving his toast, as well as expressing solidarity with the victims of recent terror attacks in the UK. He said, "Spain stands united with the British people, who at this time of suffering have once again shown dignity and strength of character."
Earlier in the day, Spain's King and Queen were welcomed to the UK with a carriage ride down the Mall alongside Her Majesty and Prince Philip. King Felipe was bestowed the Order of the Garter, which he proudly wore to the banquet that evening.