Queen Camilla Wears Dior — and Queen Elizabeth's Jewels! — to French State Banquet

Camilla wore bespoke Dior and sentimental jewels for the regal event

Queen Camilla opted for French minimalist chic — and her late mother-in-law's jewelry — for a glamorous night at Versailles.

At a decadent state dinner at the historic 17^th century palace just outside of Paris on Wednesday evening, Camilla, 76, walked the red carpet in a bespoke navy dress by Dior with a matching full-length cape — a striking look for the royal as she and King Charles make a three-day state visit to France.

“The Queen looked incredibly elegant in her caped Dior couture gown at Versailles,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at the Telegraph, tells PEOPLE, adding: “It was her doing French sophistication in her own way, and it worked beautifully.”

While the monochromatic outfit was clearly a nod to her hosts (President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, was also in Dior), Camilla brought a little piece of home with her when it came to her jewelry: the necklace and bracelet from the King George VI Sapphire Suite, a personal favorite of Queen Elizabeth, .

Originally, the suite consisted of a necklace and a pair of earrings, but Queen Elizabeth later shortened the necklace and added the pendant. She also commissioned a matching bracelet, which Camilla wore for the much-anticipated black-tie event, along with a selection of her own bracelets.

“Over the past year, Queen Camilla has taken careful steps into the royal vaults, using selected pieces of jewelry that held great personal meaning for her late mother-in-law,” Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller, tells PEOPLE. “These sapphires were particularly treasured, because they were a gift to [Elizabeth] from [her father] King George VI.”

Related: King Charles and Queen Camilla Attend State Banquet at Versailles, Where Charles Shares Warm Memory of His Parents

Like the late Queen, Camilla has also made adjustments to the statement necklace. At the South African state banquet at Buckingham Palace in November 2022, the necklace appeared much shorter, but the following month at the Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace, the pendant had been added and the length was longer, as per its latest outing at Versailles.

Accessorizing with a navy satin clutch bag, Camilla turned to comfort when it came to her shoes —opting for her much-loved Sole Bliss "Carmen" heels, which features underfoot cushioning and secret support panels for extra-wide feet and painful joints. She loves the brand so much, she has 12 pairs of their shoes and often wears them on royal engagements.

Camilla also has history when it comes to Dior. Earlier this year, she attended the first day of Royal Ascot, waving to the crowds in an open-top carriage wearing a soft cream outfit that included a jacket with intricate pleating and embellished sleeves by the French brand. She wore a similar look by Dior in 2014 to attend the Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance in Normandy and even visited their famous atelier in 2013.

“Queen Elizabeth always stayed loyal to British designers and left it to her less senior relatives, like her sister Princess Margaret, to experiment with foreign couturiers — but Camilla’s approach is very modern,” says Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style. “I admire Camilla doing regal dressing on her own terms.”

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On Wednesday afternoon, Camilla showed her own loyalty by disembarking the plane at Orly airport in a candy pink coatdress by Fiona Clare, one of her most-trusted couturiers and an embellished beret style hat by Philip Treacy, who designed the hat she wore for her 2005 wedding and who has worked closely with her since.

The banquet later that evening saw 160 guests invited, including celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Hugh Grant. Earlier in the day, the couple were warmly welcomed by the French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on behalf of French President Emmanuel Macron, later exchanging gifts with the Macrons at the Elysée Palace.

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