The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, traveled in State to the Palace of Westminster to open the
Session of Parliament.
House of Lords 2019/Roger Harris
It's been a minute - or more like three and a half years' worth of minutes - since there was a State Opening with the full dressed up pomp and circumstance; the last one was a "dressed down" version in 2017, so you have to go back to 2016 for a version with The Queen at her fanciest.
House of Lords 2019/Roger Harris
The Queen chose not to wear the Imperial State Crown this time around. Instead, it was carried ahead in the procession and set to her side during the speech. She's 93 years old and, hey, it's heavy, so fair enough.
House of Lords 2019/Roger Harris
The George IV Diadem was worn throughout and the Coronation Necklace, most frequently paired with its matching earrings, was this time paired with Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings.
The Queen hosted the annual Diplomatic Reception for ambassadors at
Buckingham Palace. The Prince of Wales, The
Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duchess of Cambridge
were also present.
The release of photos from inside this year's reception warranted coverage on the other blog, where you can check in with all The Queen's diamonds and the pearls of The Duchesses. Click here to check it out.
The Queen hosted the annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace. The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duchess of Cambridge were among those present.
It doesn't look like we're getting lucky again this year with a proper group shot inside of the palace like we did last year - you'll remember that pictures from inside this event are rare - but we do have a glimpse inside the cars carrying the other members of the Royal Family to the party. We've got some loans from The Queen, including a new loan, so we'll cover it here:
We have another new loaner for Kate, a diamond collet (rivière) necklace! This necklace must be a loan from The Queen, who has several of these collet necklaces in her collection. I am THRILLED to see her wearing one of these luscious necklaces! They're a) gorgeous and b) so versatile. The little black dress of (massive diamond) necklaces. She paired this with the tiara and earrings she's worn before.
(A note on the necklace: While some will try to make a determination on which specific diamond necklace this is, I'm not likely to follow suit without official confirmation. Judging the size of a stone from one wearer to the next is a problem because the scale changes, and these necklaces can be changed in length by altering the number of stones to suit a new wearer. There are a lot of variables.)
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, along with other members of the Royal Family, hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace for The King and Queen of Spain during their State Visit to the United Kingdom.
My wish for the Spanish state banquet was the Oriental Circlet and Queen Victoria's Crown Rubies. (Which is...pretty much my constant wish.) My prediction was that we'd get at least something from Queen Victoria, you know, because of the family ties and all. Her Majesty, however, is full of surprises.
House of HM the King
It's not just the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure that surprises me - and that is, by itself, a surprise; we haven't seen the tiara used since 2011 - it's the dress! There's color on The Queen's dress, are you seeing this? For someone so dedicated to her white dresses, even this amount of embroidery is a departure. Anyway, with all of this, she's wearing Spain's Order of the Golden Fleece (the red bow on her shoulder).
Meanwhile, we are very much back to Business As Usual for The Duchess of Cornwall's state banquet gear: the same choker she wore for the welcome ceremony, with her regular diamond tiara. There is, however, a new pair of earrings! Another pair from Van Cleef & Arpels, and there's more info in the link below.
I went into detail on The Duchess of Cambridge over at the other blog, but her loans require mention here too. Mainly, this is the first loan of the Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace, which the palace referred to today as the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Bandeau Necklace. It's one I've been hoping to see on her, as I know many of you also have. A treat!
The Queen hosted the annual Diplomatic Reception for ambassadors at Buckingham Palace. The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of Cambridge, and The Duchess of Cambridge were also present.
Okay, let's address the best thing first: THIS PHOTO. This is RARE, folks. Pictures from the Diplomatic Reception are often not published at all; a proper group shot like this is a first. I'd like to send a fruit basket to the person that convinced them to do it, but instead I shall just express my enthusiasm in ALL CAPS. WOW.
The Duchess of Cornwall: It's business as usual for Camilla. This is exactly what she wore to the Colombian state banquet and almost completely what she wore to the State Opening of Parliament before that, dress and all. So, all her tiara appearances this year are essentially the same.
The Duchess of Cambridge: Kate is sporting the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara for the second time. She's also wearing the Diamond Pendant Earrings, her most recent vault loan (these go better with a tiara than her usual longer diamond earrings, I think), and is repeating the red Jenny Packham gown she wore to the Chinese state banquet.
The Gentlemen: This is one of the most formal events of the year, so the royal men wear knee breeches with the actual Garter from the Order of the Garter just below the knee. It's rare that we get to see this; this event is one of the last consistent examples of the Garter in use, but again, we don't always get to see inside.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh welcomed the President of the Republic of Colombia and Mrs. Santos at the beginning of the President's State Visit to the United Kingdom.
This is one of those times when I would love to be privy to the reasons behind a particular brooch selection, because rubies - the Ruby and Gold Flower Brooch, which has no known connection to these guests - are the last thing I would have paired with this outfit. They're not really that noticeable, I guess.
ITN screencap
Usually, The Queen just takes off her coat once inside with her guests (and, later, inspecting the state banquet setup), but by the time they reviewed the special Royal Collection exhibit with their Colombian guests, she had a total outfit change. She went ahead and leaned into the ruby theme with the Grima Ruby Brooch.
This Prince of Wales Feathers Brooch is one we haven't had a chance to cover here yet (it comes from Queen Alexandra), but it's a perfect match for her deep green outfit. A winner, and paired with her favorite pearl pendant earrings and her usual assortment of bracelets. She did receive a pair of emerald earrings when she and The Prince of Wales visited Colombia a couple years ago, but these were on display with the rest of exhibits, so sadly weren't worn.
The Queen, along with other members of the Royal Family, gave a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in the President's honor.
We haven't seen a tiara event in a while, and I can't tell you how delighted I am that it's one of the colored stone options instead of one of the usual favorites! Her Maj's been dipping into those more often in the past couple years (she wore this one just last year for the China state banquet), and I love the variety. Her sapphire parure also picks up very nicely on the blue in the Order of Boyaca from Colombia, so that's well played.
(Many have also asked which orders the men are wearing. The Duke of Edinburgh also has the Order of Boyaca, I would imagine in a lower grade without the grand collar. The President has been given the Order of the Bath, which is often given to presidents when orders are exchanged.)
Collar and Star of the Order of Boyaca
Evening Watch
Besides, we've always got Camilla to hold down the white stone fort. Is it just me, or all these Greville Tiara + White Dress + Pearl Choker appearances starting to blend together?
British Monarchy screencaps
With the exception of the earrings, this is the same dress and jewels we saw at this year's State Opening of Parliament, which is the same as the State Opening the year before that. I mean, it suits her well, but I do like to complain.
UPDATE: We now have video of The Queen's speech - observe her sparkly dress!
And with video comes a glimpse at some of the other royal ladies in attendance. (There are also additional tiaras in the video above worn by others, and maybe a glimpse of Princess Michael of Kent, but it's hard to tell.)
British Monarchy screencap
Princess Alexandra of Kent wore the Ogilvy Tiara in its pearl setting. She wears the sash of the Order of the Garter.
British Monarchy screencaps
I wish we had a better look at The Duchess of Gloucester, in the red dress, because she wore the Iveagh Tiara and we don't get to see that in use often. She's wearing the sash of the Royal Victorian Order.
The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of
Edinburgh, traveled in State to the Palace of Westminster to open the
Session of Parliament. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall
were also in attendance.
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace took a break from the State Opening last year (after appearing in 2013 and 2014), but it's back on top this year, accompanied by Queen Victoria's enormous pearl drop earrings. She concealed any present bracelet under her gloves, though an evening watch was spotted on one wrist.
As always, the Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter adorned Her Majesty's robe once inside Parliament. The Duke of Edinburgh wore the same, layered over the dark green Riband of the Order of the Thistle and the many other decorations adorning his uniform.
What was new this year for The Queen? She took the lift on arrival, avoiding the 26 stairs at the Sovereign's Entrance. Buckingham Palace said it was a "modest adjustment" for her comfort, but some are calling it the most public concession to her age yet. Well, she's not immortal (alas!).
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were once again in attendance; they've attended every year since 2013. Charles wears the same set up as his father, with the Garter Collar over the Thistle sash, and plenty of other uniform decorations to boot.
The Duchess of Cornwall repeated her look from last year's State Opening, right down to the details: same outfit, same jewels (see last year's post here). The outfit and the oblong brooch anchoring her sash were both new last year, but she's used this tiara/earring/choker combo every year since she started attending. I think this is both her trying to take a back seat to the proceedings, and just the most appropriate combination she has for a state event that is also a daytime event.
The Queen attended the official gala dinner for the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at the Corinthia Palace Hotel in Attard, Malta. She was joined by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Day two and the jumpy claps just keep coming! On top of her interesting brooches during the day, The Queen continued to bring the jewel delight with another appearance in her glorious Cambridge Emerald and Delhi Durbar Parure!
Queen Mary's impressive green stones had slept in the vault for several years before The Queen brought them back at last year's Irish state banquet. I thought we'd have a long wait to see them again, but I am delighted to be proven wrong. They look spectacular against her standard evening white ensemble.
The jumpy claps came from all directions, I might add. From her toast at the dinner, maybe my new
favorite HM quote: "Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister of Canada, for making
me feel so old!" (Here's the text of his toast, to which she was responding.)
Another tiara event that I wasn't expecting for The Duchess of Cornwall (her husband tagged along, too) and I am in seventh heaven! Another special Camilla event post is called for:
The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended The Duke of Wellington's Waterloo Banquet at Apsley House, London, as part of the events marking the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Get a load of the diamond power on display here! This is only the second time that Camilla has worn the Greville Festoon Necklace (which is actually two necklaces, a two strand and a three strand) and it remains as spectacular as ever. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, this necklace is my very favorite selection to see paired with the Greville Tiara. The fact that she can pull this much off is basically every reason I decided to cover Camilla on this blog in a nutshell, in case you were wondering.
Charles is in his mess dress uniform, so he also has worn his orders and medals (including the Order of the Garter sash). His wife is sans orders for the evening, which fits in with the rest of the dress code.
Let's have one last moment of appreciation for The Duchess of Wellington, shall we? In addition to her wonderful necklace and earrings, she's wearing a hefty circlet tiara that is an heirloom of the Wellington family. Antonia, who was born a Princess of Prussia, also wore the diadem on her wedding day.
The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, traveled in State to the Palace of Westminster to open the Session of Parliament. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were also in attendance, as was The Princess Royal.
After two years of pearls, The Queen returned to diamonds and one of her most frequently worn combinations for today's State Opening of Parliament. The Coronation Necklace and Earrings are among the most historical and important pieces she wears regularly, and they're always a nice choice for an occasion with as much pomp and circumstance as the State Opening.
There were a couple new things this year, though. She usually anchors her sash with a diamond rosette brooch on her shoulder, but she's gone for a rather geometric diamond number this time around, which is a first. She also has a new court dress (well, coat and dress). The white court dresses worn to the State Opening always walk the bridal line and this might be stepping a wee bit close to that line, but she looks fab nevertheless.
In her position as Gold Stick-in-Waiting (which she fulfills as Colonel of the Blues and Royals), she accompanied The Queen. Looking spiffy in her uniform, as though it could be any other way. Anne, Charles, and Philip are all wearing the Collar of the Order of the Garter, and the dark green Riband of the Order of the Thistle.
And finally, because this is a jewel blog and we do the jewels, some peering around for other tiaras in attendance:
The Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting wear their tiaras. Standing to the right of Her Maj above are The Lady Susan Hussey and The Hon. Annabel Whitehead. (Lady Susan, like The Duchess of Cornwall, wears the Riband of the Royal Victorian Order.)
Relevant to our interests: Today's speech included an announcement that the President of China will come for a state visit in October. Prince William took an invitation with him on his Asian trip earlier this year.
The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, traveled in State to
the Palace of Westminster to open the Session of Parliament. The Prince
of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also in attendance.
Video: The Queen's Speech
Jewel-wise, this was a very standard year for the Queen, with favorites all around. In fact, she wore nearly the exact same combination of pieces last year, with the exception of her bracelet. The bracelet is a four row pearl bracelet with diamond accents, but good views are hard to come by to identify it. Any thoughts?
Today marked the first time the Queen has used the brand new Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was made in Australia with all sorts of fascinating artifacts included. They've included just about as much history in one transportation vehicle as you can get, it seems. I shall include some links with more at the bottom of the post.
This also marked the second year running the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the speech, which I think is a nice nod to continuity and the future. And it means we get a bonus tiara, so no complaints here.
That tiara is of course the Greville Tiara, and she's paired it with her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp and her favorite pearl earrings. Her diamond brooch is a rose brooch given to Queen Mary as a wedding gift and then passed on to the Queen Mother as a wedding gift. Camilla's also wearing the Queen's family order and the Royal Victorian Order.
The Greville Tiara, also often known as the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara, was part of the Greville bequest to Queen Elizabeth, the future Queen Mother. The top of the tiara was altered by the Queen Mum, who counted this among the two tiaras she wore in her later years. It passed to the Queen in 2002. She never wore it, but loaned it to the Duchess of Cornwall following her 2005 wedding to the Prince of Wales. It has become the Duchess' most-worn tiara.
