It’s been a while since royal watchers caught a glimpse of a British royal wearing a tiara. Kate Middleton chose not to attend the nation’s last state banquet, held in honour of the Amir of Qatar, as she continued her recovery from cancer treatment. On foreign shores, Queen Camilla did away with headpieces during the banquet held in honour of her 20th wedding anniversary with King Charles. There has been, some might say, a dearth of diadems – a coronet crunch.

But, perhaps the days of wanting are behind us, as the upcoming French state visit could provide the Princess of Wales prime opportunity to don a tiara once more. Buckingham Palace announced this week that King Charles will host French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte for an official trip to Britain this Summer.

With state visits, typically, come state banquets. Should the King and Queen choose to host such a ceremony in honour of their invités français between 8-10 July, it would in all likelihood offer up a chance for the royal women to pick out a favourite tiara for the occasion. The bejewelled headpieces can, after all, only be worn after 5 pm (with the exception of a royal wedding, which most certainly isn’t on the schedule).

It will be the first state visit to Britain for the French presidential couple. The last time the Entente Cordiale was officially honoured in this way was in 2008, when then-President Sarkozy and his wife were hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for a dinner at Windsor Castle. The King and Queen did, however, make a trip over the Channel to see the Macrons in September 2023, their first such trip after their Coronation at Westminster Abbey.