The King and Queen led the senior royals as they hosted a glittering state banquet for the Emir of Qatar at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening.
Charles, 76, and Camilla, 77, posed for photographs with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the first of his three wives, Sheikha Jawaher at the start of the white-tie dinner.
Their Majesties were joined by the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester – and surprise guests, David and Victoria Beckham. Watch their arrival below…
And although the Princess of Wales was involved in the daytime elements of the two-day state visit, she did not attend the state banquet.
Kate is making a gradual return to her royal duties amid her recovery from cancer, and will host her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey on Friday 6 December.
She and Prince William greeted the Emir and Sheikha Jawaher at their private residence and accompanied them to meet the King for the ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the Queen pulled out of the official open-air greeting on Horse Guards Parade and a carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace, due to lingering effects of a recent viral chest infection – later revealing she had had pneumonia.
See the best photos from the state banquet below…
© AlamyGroup photograph
The King and Queen posed for a photograph with the Emir of Qatar and Sheikha Jawaher at the start of the banquet.
© AlamyNew tiara debut
The Queen wore the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Kokoshnik tiara for the first time, which hasn’t been seen for nearly a decade.
The jewels were a 25th wedding anniversary gift to Queen Alexandra in 1888.
It was passed down to her daughter-in-law Queen Mary, who then passed it down to the Queen Elizabeth II.
Camilla teamed the jewels with a red velvet evening dress by Fiona Claire.
Her diamond earrings were from her private collection and her diamond necklace also belonged to Elizabeth II.
She also wore a ruby and diamond bracelet and the family orders of both the late Queen and King Charles III – miniature portraits of the monarchs on ribbons.
© AlamyKing Charles
The King donned white-tie attire with a black evening tailcoat with a white shirt, waistcoat and bow tie.
© AlamySurprise guests
David and Victoria Beckham were among the 170 guests at the banquet.
The former footballer, dapperly dressed in white tie and tails, chatted to Victoria as they made their way through the East Gallery.
The fashion designer and former Spice Girl was dressed in a fitted dark floor-length evening gown with long fitted sleeves and wore her hair swept into a sleek pony tail.
© PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Princess Royal
Princess Anne flew the flag for sustainable fashion as she wore a vintage cream evening dress, with puff sleeves and full-length white gloves.
She opted for the Aquamarine Pineflower Tiara, which was a wedding gift from her late grandmother, the Queen Mother.
© PA Images / Alamy Stock PhotoThe Duchess of Edinburgh
Sophie wowed in a black boatneck style gown by Suzannah, with glittering jewellery from Graff and her diamond and aquamarine tiara.
The headpiece can actually be converted to a necklace, as seen at a charity gala dinner in 2006.
© GettyThe Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince William and Prince Edward captured as they process into the ballroom.
Both men wore white-tie attire and sported their medals, as well as the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle stars.
© WPA PoolKing Charles’ speech
The King opened his toast by speaking in Arabic, as he hailed the “profound, personal and historic” ties between Qatar and the UK.
