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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Jennifer Newton

Kate Middleton dazzles in diamond tiara with poignant meaning at stunning royal wedding

The Princess of Wales pulled out all the stops in a dazzling tiara as she and Prince William joined guests from the around the world for a lavish banquet at the royal wedding of the year.

Kate wore the stunning Lover's Knot tiara teamed with a pink, embellished gown for the evening reception at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and his new wife Princess Rajwa at the Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman.

The Lover's Knot Tiara, a diamond and pearl-encrusted headpiece made in 1914, was often worn by her namesake Diana, Princess of Wales.

The sparkling headpiece was made by Royal jeweller Garrard, from pearls and diamonds already in Queen Mary's possession. However, it was a copy of one owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who married the first Duke of Cambridge in 1818.

It was given to Diana by the Queen as a wedding gift in 1981, and she wore it for the first time at the state opening of parliament that November.

Following her death, the glistening headpiece was passed down to Kate, it is now perhaps her most favourite pieces of royal jewellery.

Diana wearing the Lover's Knot tiara gifted to her by the Queen (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Kate pictured in the Lover's Knot tiara at a State Banquet in 2022 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Earlier, Kate had stunned in a blush Elie Saab dress as she and William alongside Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi watched the happy couple tie the knot in front of 140 guest at the Zahran Palace before a motorcade of red Land Rovers escorted the newlyweds through the streets of Amman.

It was only announced this morning that William and Kate would be at the wedding after they were spotted at a hotel in Amman and it is the first time they have attended a major royal international event together.

Tonight's wedding reception is the first time Kate has worn a tiara since the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in December. No royals wore tiaras for King Charles' Coronation last month with Kate opting for a flower headpiece by Alexander McQueen and Jess Collett instead.

William and Kate's trip to Jordan was not announced in advance and their arrival was confirmed by Jordanian state media a few hours before the start of the palace marriage ceremony.

On arrival, they were greeted by the groom's parents King Abdullah and Queen Rania with Kate curtseying to them and they had a lengthy chat before they headed to watch Hussein, 28, who wore military uniform, marry 29-year-old Rajwa, whose bridal gown was also by Elie Saab.

The couple wed in an Islamic marriage ceremony known as a "katb ktab" held in a gazebo in the garden of the Zahran Palace and it was conducted by the Royal Hashemite Court Imam Dr Ahmed Al Khalaileh.

William and Kate arriving at the marriage ceremony in Amman, Jordan (AP)
Earlier in the day Kate wore a blush pink dress (PA)

After the ceremony, several women performed Zaghrata – ululation – a joyous sound commonly used to express happiness at Jordanian and Arab celebrations, and the newly-weds greeted their guests.

On leaving, the British royals were all seen greeting the newlywed couple with hugs and kisses on the cheeks. It was then announced that Rajwa had been bestowed with a HRH title and will be known as Princess Rajwa.

Hussein, 28, who is the eldest son of Abdullah and Rania, is known to have a close bond with William.

Kate greets bride Rajwa at her wedding to Crown Prince Hussein (AP/Youtube)

In 2018, during a solo trip to Jordan, William was hosted by Hussein and stopped by his then-swanky bachelor pad at the King's residence of Beit al Urdun to watch a football match.

William had missed out on watching England's emphatic victory over Panama in that year's World Cup while travelling to the country - so the Crown Prince recorded it for him.

Kensington Palace later shared a picture of William watching the rerun on a huge screen alongside Hussein as they reclined on a huge grey corner sofa.

In addition, Hussein's mum Queen Rania is a member of William's Earthshot Prize Council.

The couple arriving at the Zahran Palace earlier today for the wedding ceremony (Roya News English/YouTube)

Meanwhile, the country of Jordan is a special place for Kate, who lived there for three years as a young child.

It came when her dad Michael Middleton was relocated there while working for British Airways - and Kate and sister Pippa attended a nursery there.

A sweet picture of the young girls shows them with their dad at an archaeological site in the country.

And in 2021, the couple took their children to Jordan for a private holiday, with a family snap at the ancient city of Petra from that getaway featuring on their Christmas card that year. It came after William promised to take his family to Jordan following his 2018 visit there.

Princess Beatrice with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the wedding earlier today (Roya News English/YouTube)

Hussein, a graduate of the UK's Sandhurst Military Academy, and Rajwa's engagement was announced last August with a ceremony to mark it taking place in the bride's home city of Riyadh.

Two weeks ago, Queen Rania threw a traditional henna party for her Saudi Arabian-born daughter-in-law-to-be and later shared special behind-the-scenes footage of the emotional event.

The wedding comes after a difficult period for Jordan’s monarchy, including a public rift between the king and his half-brother, with some commentators interpreting the national celebrations as a way of shoring up public support at a time of persistent economic difficulties.

The newlyweds leave the Zahran Palace in a motorcade (Robin Utrecht/dana press/REX/Shutterstock)
The bride's wedding dress was by Elie Saab (Robin Utrecht/dana press/REX/Shutterstock)

William and Kate have been in good company as other guests at the wedding have included royalty from across the world such as Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and his Australian-born wife Crown Princess Mary as well as the heir to the Swedish throne Crown Princess Victoria and husband Prince Daniel.

The King and Queen of the Netherlands are also there as well as the King of Belgium and his young heir Princess Elisabeth. The US is represented by its First Lady Jill Biden.

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