Dazzling Duchess Kate Stuns alongside the Queen and Chinese president for her first state banquet

The Duchess of Cambridge attends her first state banquet with the Chinese president Xi Jinping and toasted him at the state banquet held in his honor at Buckingham Palace last night. Kate wore a bespoke red dress - the color of China's flag - at the lavish white-tie dinner in the palace's grand ballroom hosted by the Queen and Prince Philip, along with 170 other guests.

 Prince Charles chose not to attend. Kate, 33, wore the delicate Papyrus tiara, also known as the Lotus Flower, which was once owned by the Queen Mother. She was seated in the most prominent position for a female member of the royal family after the Queen, beside President Xi. Her Majesty gave a speech ahead of the meal where she told the president 'we have much reason to celebrate the dynamic, growing economic relationship between our countries'.

The banquet came at the start of a four-day state visit by Mr Xi and his wife Madame Peng (pictured left). Mr Xi will today meet David Cameron at Downing Street and visit Imperial College London with the Duke of York and George Osborne.