Princess Kate and Queen Camilla will have gone through extreme lengths to avoid an awkward clash with Melania Trump. The First Lady is in the United Kingdom alongside US President Donald Trump for a state visit.
The Royal Family will hold a state banquet for the Trumps at Windsor Castle tonight (September 17). Staff are thought to have spent months preparing for the evening, which will be filled with royal pomp and pageantry. According to Grant Harrold, who worked as King Charles’ butler from 2007 to 2011, the Queen and Kate would have gone out of their way to make sure their outfits for the banquet compliment Melania’s.
Harrold says the Queen has traditionally opted to wear a white dress for banquets, something the late Queen Elizabeth II would do regularly. Kate however has taken a more modern approach and wears a dash of colour.
Harrold believes the state visit will have taken anywhere between eight and nine months preparation. This preparation he explains includes the ballgowns that the royals will wear at Windsor.
Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Harrold explains: “The most important thing here is the royal women won’t want to clash with Melania. Kate and Camilla’s offices will be in touch with Melania’s office to find out what colour outfit she’s planning to wear.
“Traditionally the late Queen always wore off white dresses, and Queen Camilla tends to do the same. But Kate is more modern on this and tends to wear colour. Guests normally wear colour, so this is where an issue can arise.
“If two guests wear white or a neutral colour it doesn’t really matter, however the issue comes in if they’re both in the same shade of blue or something.”
The red carpet will be rolled out later for the Trumps, who can expect military parades and a fly past from the Red Arrows before the banquet at St George’s Hall in Windsor. The King and Queen will be hosting the US President and First Lady for two days.
Both the US President and the King are set to deliver speeches at the banquet tonight while both national anthems will be played. Harrold says the Trumps will have both been given advice on what to wear.
He says men attending state banquets traditionally wear white tie, while ladies opt for an evening gown. Married women are permitted to wear a tiara.