State Visit from The Netherlands, State Banquet

The Queen and members of the Royal Family hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for The King and Queen of The Netherlands during their State Visit to the United Kingdom.

Embed from Getty Images

We've done a deep dive on the Dutch state banquet at the other blog already; here, as we do, we'll take a specific look at the things that emerged from The Queen's jewel vault. Her Maj returned to her favorite tiara, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, for the second time this year; Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings also made their second appearance of the year.

Screencap

Another second 2018 showing? The massive Cullinan III and IV Brooch. That's a brooch chosen to honor the Dutch connection; the Cullinan Diamond was cut by Asscher in Amsterdam.

Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings 
George VI Festoon Necklace
Cullinan III and IV Brooch
White and Gray Pearl Bracelet (Not yet covered here)
Evening Watch
Order of The Netherlands Lion (Riband and Star)
Royal Family Orders of King George V and King George VI

Screencap

It's difficult to be out-blinged when one is wearing 158 carats of "Granny's Chips", but one should never underestimate the carat capacity of Queen Máxima. She wore the Stuart Tiara in all its glory.

Embed from Getty Images

The Duchess of Cornwall still favors the same white dress strategy as her mother-in-law; we've seen this one a few times in the past. She did manage to break up her diamonds and pearls with my favorite pink topaz.

Greville Tiara
Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings
Five Strand Pearl Choker with Pink Topaz Clasp
Brooch, at her shoulder
Diamond Bracelet
Royal Victorian Order (Riband and Star)
Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II

Embed from Getty Images

The most exciting jewel news - on the British side of things - came from The Duchess of Cambridge. This is the first we've seen Queen Alexandra's Wedding Necklace since Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother wore it (it was one of her favorites). We also now know that The Duchess of Cambridge has been given Her Maj's royal family order. The gift, which is private and only known when the recipient wears the brooch, was first worn for the 2017 Diplomatic Reception (we just didn't get to see it in the car shots). Because these orders have been made with ivory in the past, it was also clarified that Kate's has been made using glass. (The Duke of Cambridge, as you may know, is very publicly against ivory.)

Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara (Queen Mary's)
Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings (from the collection of Diana, Princess of Wales)
Queen Alexandra's Wedding Necklace
Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
Diamond Bracelet

Screencap

The Countess of Wessex wore the Five Aquamarine Tiara on loan from The Queen. Her earrings are very large and very sparkly (with a shape similar to The Queen's Emerald or Diamond Pendants), but I don't know if they are also loans at this time.

Again, you can see more from this banquet at Order of Splendor.

Upcoming Documentary: The Coronation (Plus, a Serious Brooch Appearance!)

The BBC is set to air The Coronation this month, a special documentary telling the story of the coronation and the Crown Jewels. The documentary will feature something rare: thoughts from The Queen herself, in conversation with expert Alastair Bruce.

The Queen with Alastair Bruce
BBC

"I've seen one coronation, and been the recipient in the other, which is pretty remarkable," The Queen says as she shares memories of her own 1953 coronation in addition to memories from her father's 1937 coronation.

This documentary doesn't just give us a rare opportunity to hear The Queen's personal thoughts as the 65th anniversary of her coronation approaches; it gives us a rare opportunity to see "Granny's Chips" in action.

The Queen with St. Edward's Crown
BBC

Cullinans I and II are contained within the Crown Jewels she'll be discussing, so The Queen chose to round out the collection by wearing the Cullinan III & IV Brooch for this documentary appearance. The last time the brooch was worn was in 2012, for the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service. This blue dress is the perfect background for this spectacular carat display, and I think we're pretty lucky to see this brooch in use twice in six years!

On a related note, here's an old video of The Queen speaking about the Imperial State Crown:

The Coronation airs on the BBC on January 14th at 8 pm. It is part of the Royal Collection Season, a partnership between the BBC and Royal Collection Trust, which will also include a four-part television series, Art, Passion & Power: The Story Of The Royal Collection. The Smithsonian Channel will also air The Coronation on January 14th at 8 pm Eastern. It will air along with several other royal documentaries that day (h/t to scott).

The Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service

The Queen, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, attended a National Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee in St. Paul's Cathedral. After the service the Queen attended a Reception given by the Lord Mayor at Mansion House and a Luncheon given by the Lord Great Chamberlain at Westminster Hall. Following a Carriage Procession, the Royal Family appeared on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Diamonds are a queen’s best friend, baby! Cullinan III and IV, 158 carats of pure diamond bling: doesn’t get more queen-y than this. Uh-mazing. Also of note: she's upgraded the size of her traditional earrings as well. Way to go all out, Your Maj!

Cullinan III and IV Brooch

Ladies of Devonshire Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

The Cullinan III and IV Brooch

The Cullinan III and IV Brooch

This massive brooch, also known as “Granny’s Chips”, features two cleavings from the famous Cullinan diamond from South Africa. Cullinan III is a pear-shaped 94.4 carat diamond and is suspended from Cullinan IV, a square-cut 63.6 carat diamond. Read more at Order of Splendor on this brooch in particular, and on the Cullinan diamond as a whole.

Appearances: 
23 October 2018: State Visit from The Netherlands, State Banquet 
2018: BBC Documentary, The Coronation
5 June 2012: The Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service
1958: State Visit to the Netherlands