King Charles summons Beckhams to Buckingham Palace
Guess who is officially posh? Designer Victoria Beckham, the former Spice Girl singer known as Posh Spice and her soccer star husband David attended their first state banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
With Princess Catherine having reduced the number of her official appearances while recovering from cancer treatment, King Charles and Queen Camilla turned to fashion and sport for glam support to host Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher.
David has experience rubbing tuxedo shoulders with Qatari royalty, having worked as a paid ambassador for the country when it hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Quite wisely, Victoria let the lines of a sleek £1150 ($2265) dress from her own collection take the spotlight, keeping accessories to a minimum. Having attended the weddings of Prince William and Catherine in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in 2018, the respected designer understood the futility of competing with the royal jewellery box.
Jewellery diplomacy was left to Camilla in the impressive Diamond Kokoshnik Tiara, featuring 61 diamond bars, which hasn’t been seen in public for nearly a decade. The tiara, a 25th wedding anniversary gift to Queen Alexandra in 1888, can also be worn as a necklace.
On this occasion, Camilla wore one of Queen Elizabeth’s necklaces and earrings from her private collection with a red velvet dress by her favoured designer Fiona Clare.
Earlier in the day, Camilla had curtseyed out of an open air carriage ride as part of official proceedings, following revelations that she was recovering from a form of pneumonia.
Princess Anne, filling in for the Princess of Wales on the right of the Emir, wore the Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara given to her by the Queen Mother as a wedding present in 1973 but was upstaged by her brother.
Charles, in a scene-stealing style move rivalling the black breeches he wore to a diplomatic event last month, carried a golden ceremonial sword into the dinner. Earlier the King had been presented with the highest decoration in Qatar, The Sword of the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, shining brighter than Anne’s 86-year-old Cartier diamonds.
Catherine had made a daytime appearance, wearing a burgundy Alexander McQueen coat dress with Queen Elizabeth’s Bahrain diamond earrings and Japanese pearl necklace from Garrards, to greet the Qataris but was excused from night-time duties.
Surprisingly, Victoria Beckham’s designs are a rare feature in Catherine’s royal wardrobe. In January last year Catherine wore a cream knit dress beneath an Alexander McQueen coat and has been spotted in sunglasses from the label.
The Beckham’s Buckingham Palace upgrade could see Catherine delving deeper into the designer’s racks, especially with the celebrity couple distancing themselves from former close friends Harry and Meghan.
Catherine’s next official appearance will be hosting a Christmas carol service Together at Westminster Abbey on Friday.
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