The Princess of Wales was described as an ‘anxious-looking guest’ after her first state banquet in 2015 – but no one could accuse Kate of lacking confidence at her most recent one.
Prince William’s wife, 43, was deployed by the King on Wednesday night to charm US President Donald Trump and his wife First Lady Melania Trump in an act of expert soft diplomacy.
Kate was strategically placed at Mr Trump’s right-hand side at the lavish Windsor Castle state banquet, laughing and clinking glasses with him and repeatedly bestowing dazzling smiles upon him during the meal.
Her confident demeanour looked world’s away from the mild-mannered display she put on as the Duchess of Cambridge at her first of these occasions, over a decade ago.
Speaking at the time of the royal reception held in 2015 in honour of China’s president Xi Jinping, body language expert Judi James told how Kate looked like an ‘anxious’ guest who ‘lacked confidence’.
The mother-of-three, who wed William on April 29, 2011, was visibly shy in photographs taken during the Buckingham Palace banquet – and wore a simple red dress with her hair placed in a neat up-do.
But on Wednesday, Kate was no wallflower and instead used the ‘soft power of fashion’ and her natural charm to make a strong statement, with delighted royal fans saying Kate was the epitome of a Queen-in-waiting.
Rather than blending into the background, Kate was radiant in a stunning golden gown and claimed the spotlight as she ‘reduced Mr Trump to a man rather in awe’, Ms James said.
Kate’s confident demeanour looked world’s away from the mild-mannered display she put on as the Duchess of Cambridge at her first of these occasions, over a decade ago (pictured)
Her impressive performance was a far cry from Kate’s state banquet debut in 2015, four years after she married Prince William.
Ms James noted at the time that the royal’s ‘straighter brow line and slightly downcast eyes made her look sad and a little isolated’ as she smiled politely at Mr Jinping while letting the late Queen Elizabeth II command the room.
If she was nervous, it was understandably so; all eyes were on Kate – 33 at the time – as she toasted and dined beside Mr Xi at her first state banquet since marrying into the Royal Family.
For the occasion, she picked a custom-made Jenny Packham dress – with cap sleeves – in the colour of China’s flag.
She accessorised with the delicate Papyrus tiara but seemed worried it would slip, according to Ms James.
‘At her first banquet her solo forward lean and the way she kept her upper arms held close to her torso hint at a lack of confidence and, although she looked stunning in her tiara, her careful posture suggested she was being very cautious about keeping it in place,’ Ms James told the Daily Mail.
The next time Kate attended a state banquet was in 2017 when Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia travelled to the UK. The occasion also marked the first time Prince Harry, then 32, participated in a State Visit.
The Duchess, 35 at the time, donned the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara – which she also wore for Wednesday night’s reception – that was beloved by Princess Diana, as she picked a dusky Marchesa pink lace dress for the evening’s look.
Donald Trump ‘s second state visit to the UK was unprecedented for a number of reasons – including the Princess of Wales’s diplomatic triumphs as she stepped confidently into the role of Britain’s future Queen
Prince William ‘s wife, 43, was deployed by the King on Wednesday night to charm US President Donald Trump and his wife First Lady Melania Trump in an act of expert soft diplomacy
Kate was strategically placed at Mr Trump’s right-hand side at the lavish Windsor Castle state banquet, laughing and clinking glasses with him and repeatedly bestowing dazzling smiles upon him during the meal
Impeccably dressed though she was, Kate was photographed looking nervously around the room at one point during the reception for the visiting Spanish royals – as she seemed to still be finding her footing within the royal fold.
She appeared more relaxed at her third banquet for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in 2018 and during Trump’s first official UK visit in 2019.
By 2022, she was a seasoned pro, with Kate smiling graciously as she clinked champagne glasses with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa during the banquet’s toast.
Following the late Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, it saw William and Kate playing their most prominent role at such an engagement – which are undertaken at the request of the Government.
Kate, then 40, also put her best fashion foot forward in a gem embellished white gown from her favoured Jenny Packham as she joined Prince William, King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the lavish occasion at Buckingham Palace – the first of its kind in three years.
She once again reached for her favourite tiara, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot – which was a wedding gift to Princess Diana – and paired it with diamond and pearl drop earrings that also once belonged to her late mother-in-law.
As she raised her glass to Buckingham Palace’s VIP guest at the time, Kate was a vision in white – smiling frequently and making animated gestures while carrying herself with the grace expected from members of the Royal Family.
The following year, at a dinner honouring Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, Kate – who had previously always worn her dark tresses in neat, slicked-back updos – experimented with a new look.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge attended her second state banquet in 2017, appearing to look around the room anxiously
She chose to let her long locks fall loose as she opted for a half-up, half-down style for the banquet, before figuratively letting her hair down during the welcome reception.
In a rare display of affection, William was seen placing his hand on his wife’s lower back and Kate reciprocated the sweet gesture by placing her hand on her husband’s back before holding his hand.
Since the 2023 state banquet for the South Korean president, Kate has donned a similar hairdo at each subsequent banquet, including Wednesday night’s affair, where she captured Trump’s attention.
‘Melania and I are delighted to visit again with Prince William and to see Her Royal Highness, Princess Catherine, so radiant and so healthy and so beautiful,’ the President said in his speech addressing attendees.
Ms James noted how the Princess of Wales had blossomed into her most authentic, confident self during the glittering state reception for Mr Trump and wife, First Lady Melania Trump.
‘The moment caught between Kate and Trump at the banquet is iconic. There’s a hint of soft-skill flirting here that seems to have reduced the President to a man rather in awe and actually put in his place a little by the playful smile on Kate’s face.
She continued: ‘Trump is leaning in with his bashful smile and upward glance, making him look like a naughty schoolboy in the throes of a small crush.
Kate appeared more relaxed at her third banquet for King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands in 2018 (pictured) and during Trump’s first official UK visit in 2019
By 2022, she was a seasoned state banquet pro, smiling as she clinked champagne glasses with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa during the banquet’s toast
In 2023, at a dinner honouring Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Kate let her hair down. She chose to let her long locks fall loose rather than pin them up like she had at each previous state banquet
Kate has donned a similar hairdo at each subsequent banquet (Pictured with the Prince of Wales in July, 2025 at a state banquet at Windsor Castle)
‘It’s a wonderfully complimentary pose with Trump looking happily compliant while Kate playfully suggests she quietly has the measure of him’.
Compared to her more stoic, reserved personality at the 2015 banquet for Mr Jinping, Kate actively engaged Mr Trump in conversation as he ‘spent most of the night speaking with Kate, according to Newsmax Media CEO Christopher Ruddy.
The American businessman, who is the president’s friend and attended the banquet, adding: ‘The President spent most of the night speaking with Kate. So I think we should find out what she heard. They were very deep in discussion, and I could tell he was really fascinated. He was really engaged with her’.
In a sure sign Kate is fast becoming as influential as the King and her husband, she ‘dazzled’ the President and melted his ‘icy-cool’ First Lady on the first day of their state visit to Britain.
Mr Trump gushed that Kate looked ‘so beautiful’ after she joined Prince William in greeting the couple as they touched down at Windsor Castle.
‘The King can see what an asset Kate is to the Royal Family and the country’, a palace insider told the Daily Mail. ‘The Trumps are both captivated by her’.
Kate also enjoyed a good relationship with Mrs Trump.
‘It was clear from Kate’s high-energy, enthusiastic approach to Melania as she zoomed in to chat to the First Lady using an expression of keenness and excitement as well as some animated gesticulation that she and the FLOTUS will be bonding on their excursion today’, Judi said.
‘Kate seems to have captured the art of gently pushing through barriers to create authentic bonds. Melania can appear quite icy-cool, but it was Kate’s immediate signals of assumed friendship that brought a wide grin and some complimentary mirroring from the First Lady’.
