When Prince William took his seat in the Buckingham Palace ballroom last week, he probably did not expect to find himself looking straight at someone who once turned him into a blushing, tongue-tied teenager. The state banquet on December 3, 2025, held in honour of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and First Lady Elke Büdenbender, brought together an array of high-profile guests. Among them was Claudia Schiffer, attending as part of the German delegation and dazzling in a black Balmain dress decorated with gold and multicoloured details.
Claudia now holds the courtesy title Lady Drummond through her husband, filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, who became Lord Drummond earlier this year after receiving a knighthood for his contributions to the creative industries. At the banquet, she was seated beside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and only a few seats from the King and the Princess of Wales. Across from them sat Queen Camilla, First Lady Büdenbender and Prince William, who found himself sharing a room with someone connected to one of the most memorable moments of his youth.
A teenage memory returns
More than thirty years earlier, a young William had rushed home from school to Kensington Palace and walked straight into a surprise arranged with unmistakable mischief by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. Standing in the foyer were Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. Princess Diana had orchestrated the meeting partly to tease her son, partly to delight him and partly to remind him, in her own warm way, that people plastered on posters were still real human beings.
William later admitted that the moment overwhelmed him. He remembered going bright red, losing his words and even stumbling on the stairs in his panic. His bedroom walls at the time were adorned with posters of the very women now standing in front of him. Looking back, he described it with humour but also with gratitude for the playfulness and affection behind the gesture. It was one of those small mother-and-son moments that remained with him long after her passing.