Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie's royal first you might have missed


The royal ladies wowed at the state banquet


Duchess Sophie and Princess Anne© Getty
Danielle StaceyOnline Royal Correspondent - London
December 5, 2024
Share this:

The Princess Royal and the Duchess of Edinburgh were among the senior royals to attend the glittering state banquet for the Emir of Qatar at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

The white-tie dress code called for evening gowns and tiaras, but the two royal ladies also debuted another important accessory on the night.

Princess Anne, 74, and Sophie, 59, wore King Charles' Royal Family Order for the first time.

The badge is a miniature of the monarch, bordered by diamonds and attached to a pale blue silk ribbon.

The honour is bestowed on female members of the royal family by the monarch. It is usually worn pinned to the dress of the recipient on the left shoulder.

Anne and Sophie also wore Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Family Order, which is suspended from a yellow silk ribbon.

© Getty
Anne and Camilla both wore the Royal Family Orders of King Charles and Queen Elizabeth II

King Charles' Royal Family Order was worn for the first time by Queen Camilla at the Japanese state banquet in June. 

It's likely that the Princess of Wales also has the new honour but she missed the Japanese and Qatari state banquets, and the diplomatic reception this year.

© PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Sophie wearing her two Royal Family Orders

Kate became the first British royal to wear the honour made with glass instead of traditional ivory when she was awarded it in 2017. This significant change is likely to be in support of Prince William's work around conservation and his commitment to end the ivory trade.

Charles' is made from oil on polymin, a synthetic replacement for the ivory used in previous royal family orders.

© PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
A close-up of the new family order

The late Princess Margaret often displayed her three Royal Family Orders – King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

It's likely that the Princess of Wales will end up with three of her own in future – Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III and when he ascends the throne, that of her husband, Prince William.

LISTEN: Inside Princess Kate's festive plans

ROYAL FAN? JOIN THE CLUB

Welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club, where thousands of royal fans like you get to delve deeper into the wonderful world of royalty every day. Want to join them? Just click the button below for a list of club benefits and joining information.

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information please click here.

More Royalty
See more