Queen Camilla has consistently looked elegant throughout her and King Charles' State Visit to the US, which commenced on 26 April and is rounded off on Thursday evening. The trip started in Washington DC before the royal couple embarked on an internal flight to New York.
On 29 April, Queen Camilla, 78, was seen visiting the New York Public Library alongside Sex and the City star, Sarah Jessica Parker, with a behind-the-scenes video being posted on the official Royal Family Instagram account. In said video, the royal is captured on the private plane carrying a Lady Dior handbag.
The royal history of Lady Dior
The £5,200 bag has a storied royal past, with it having been named after the late Princess Diana, who was first offered the bag in September 1995 while visiting Paris for the opening of the Paul Cézanne retrospective at the Grand Palais.
© UK Press via Getty ImagesShe carried it on many occasions after that, including in 1995 to officially open the new Liverpool Women’s Hospital and, funnily enough, in New York that very same year.,
However, Camilla gave the bag, which has since been carried by the likes of Rihanna, Sabrina Carpenter and Pamela Anderson, a fresh spin for 2026 with how she paired it with a navy embroidered Fiona Clare coat dress and a string of pearls.
Camilla puts her own stamp on the Lady Dior
© UK Press via Getty ImagesLeanne Jones, a fashion stylist and alumna of the London College of Style, tells us of Queen Camilla's relationship with the famous bag: "It's long been a favourite of the Queen's, and we’ve seen her carry it in a number of variations – from a taupe style at Wimbledon in 2024 to a white version at Ascot last year, not to mention the Dior Toujours bag she stepped out with earlier this year.
"But this isn’t by chance. The Royal Family has a long-standing relationship with Dior," she continues. "The house famously dressed Princess Margaret for her 21st birthday, and Christian Dior himself had a deep affection for what he described as the 'English way of life'. That admiration has clearly remained mutual over the decades."
© PA Images via Getty ImagesWhat strikes Leanne about this particular Dior bag is how it has evolved beautifully, reimagined season after season in a wide array of colours, sizes and materials. "It's a bag that has truly stood the test of time, and the Queen has clearly followed its journey, building a collection that reflects its versatility and enduring appeal," the stylist says.
© PA Images via Getty Images"Dior works effortlessly for Camilla. It's a house with a strong identity and one that is intrinsically linked to royal style. The Lady Dior, in particular, is timeless and elegant, and I love that she continues to revisit it in different iterations; it shows just how adaptable and relevant the piece remains today."
Dressing in leopard print
Of course, Camilla's navy outfit wasn't her only understatedly stylish look of the trip. She also gave leopard print her royal seal of approval with the swishy dress worn at a cultural reception at the Rockefeller Center later in the day.
© Getty ImagesIt was teamed with satin heels with a pointed toe and a small clutch bag to match.
