Kate Middleton: Duchess of Cambridge to wear tiara at first state banquet

Kate Middleton will be wearing a tiara for the third time since marrying Prince William, Hello! Magazine reported. The Duchess of Cambridge is expected to attend a Buckingham Palace banquet with her husband to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to the UK.

According to the online magazine, the duchess will be wearing a tiara for the black tie event in keeping with royal protocol. Kate has worn two different tiaras since joining the royal family in 2011. She first wore the Cartier Halo Tiara for her 2011 wedding and later wore the Papyrus Tiara at the Queen's annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2013.

While Kate's attendance has not been confirmed, it is believed that she and her husband will make an appearance, especially since William invited the Chinese president to the UK during a visit to China in March.

The Sunday Times reported that William's father, Prince Charles, will also participate in the state visit. Charles, who has never visited China, will attend the arrival lunch and receive the president and his wife during the Horse Guards Parade along with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Unlike his son and daughter-in-law, Charles will not be attending the sit-down banquet.

All eyes have been on the Duchess after she was notably missing from a high-society wedding over the weekend, Hello! Magazine noted. She cancelled her appearance last minute, forcing her husband to appear with her younger sister Pippa Middleton. Her late no-show was so last minute that reports emerged from the wedding that her name still appeared on the seating plan.

"No one knows why," said one source. "Everyone was talking about it over breakfast the next morning. They stayed on the next day and night, too, attending lunch in the marquee together. The plan was for everyone to go and do a river estuary swim afterwards."

This is not the first social event the Duchess missed in the last weeks. Celebrity gossip sites noted she has missed at least four other weddings, a funeral and the christening of Zara Phillip's daughter, Mia.