Recent Portrait Releases

Two new portraits of the Queen have recently been revealed.

Poor portrait painters. Most portraits just get criticized, and praise seems rare. Such is the case with the two most recent portraits of the Queen. The first (above) was commissioned by the Royal Mail - the first time they've commissioned one - to cap a special collection marking the 60th anniversary of the coronation. Click here to read more at the Royal Mail's site and here for more on the painting itself. For this painting, the Queen is wearing Queen Victoria's Pearl Drop Earrings and one of her three strand pearl necklaces in addition to her Garter robes.

The second was commissioned by the Welsh Rugby Union, again in honor of the 60th anniversary of the coronation. Click here for more. This is your daily Queen look: her button earrings, three strand pearl necklace, gold watch, and presumably twisting her engagement ring. The brooch could be the Diamond Bouquet Brooch, allowing for hefty amounts of artistic license, of course. UPDATE: This is the Daffodil Spray Brooch.

Photos:Royal Mail/PA

Defence Medical Rehabilitation Unit

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court in Surrey.

Click above for an article and video from The Telegraph.

Well, this is a lovely visit. And one of my favorite outfits to boot!

Jardine Star Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Photo: Telegraph screencap

State Visit from the UAE, Welcome Ceremony and State Luncheon

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh welcomed the President of the United Arab Emirates , His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the beginning of his State Visit to the United Kingdom. The welcome was followed by a State Luncheon at Windsor Castle.

Click above for an article and video from IBTimes.

This state visit's a bummer: no state banquet, only a state luncheon. That means no tiaras. Le sigh.

Queen Mother's Palm Leaf Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

 

Photos: IBTimes Screencap/PA

The Antique Girandole Earrings

The Antique Girandole Earrings

Girandole earrings are a classic style which became popular around the 18th century. They often have a very delicate construction and include three pendants, the central pendant being lower than the other two. This particular pair of diamond earrings are the best example of this style we see the Queen wear. They include a large round diamond top and three pear drop pendants in what looks to be an antique setting.

We don't know much about these earrings, though. Leslie Field, in her book The Queen's Jewels, refers to them in passing as "antique diamond girandole earrings" and mentions that Queen Victoria had been partial to the style in her day. The Queen has been wearing them since the early 1970s, at least.

They're a popular match with necklaces like the King Khalid Diamond Necklace, the King Faisal Diamond Necklace, the Diamond Pear-Shaped Pendant Fringe Necklace, or the George VI Festoon Necklace. These are all necklaces which entered the collection without their own pre-matched earrings (as part of a parure or demi-parure), so it's easy to imagine the Girandole Earrings as a purchase intended to fill that certain hole in the vault. However, they could also have been a gift or something discovered in the jewel collection.

Appearances:
16 June 2014: Garter Day
2010: State Visit to the UAE and Oman 
2007: CHOGM Dinner
2005: State Visit from China
1991: Balmoral Ghillies Ball
1991: State Visit to the United States
1988: Official Visit to the Netherlands
1978: State Visit to Germany
1972: State Visit from the Netherlands
1967: Visit to Malta 
Various Years: State Opening of Parliament  
Various Years: The Garter Service
Various Years: CHOGM Dinners 

Photos: Getty Images/Corbis/PA

Flashback: Official Visits to the Netherlands, 1988 and 2007

The Queen has visited the Netherlands a few times during her reign, including an in-depth state visit during Queen Juliana's reign. During Queen Beatrix's tenure (1980-2013), she's paid two official visits, both celebrating the ties between the British and the Dutch.

The Queen arrived in Holland in July 1988 to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution that brought William of Orange to the British throne as William III, who reigned alongside his wife, Mary II. The visit was held under tight security following IRA attacks in the Netherlands. Additionally, protests were anticipated from Dutch gay rights groups following the passage of discriminatory legislation in Britain. But everything went ahead without major difficulty, and the Dutch royal family welcomed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with open arms. Her arrival outfit included her standard Pearl Trefoil Brooch, hard as it is to see it on this sort of Pollock-does-bumblebees outfit.

More day events included a visit to Osterbeek War Cemetery (above, left), and an appearance with another firm brooch standard: the Frosted Sunflower (above, center and right).

The evening entertainment didn't include a tiara event, but there were diamonds nevertheless (and aquamarines, for Queen Beatrix). The Queen wore her King Faisal Diamond Necklace and Antique Girandole Earrings, in addition to a diamond bracelet and I assume a diamond evening watch.

The second visit was a quick one: a single day in February 2007. (Actually, this one is included on the list of outbound state visits on the British Monarchy's site, though it didn't include many of the trappings you'd usually associate with a state visit.) The speedy trip was in order to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the English Church in Amsterdam, and also included a swing by the International Court of Justice in The Hague and a private lunch with Dutch royal family. The Queen wore one of her standby outfits and one of her standby brooches, the Flower Basket Brooch.

And that ends our look at the visits between these two queens. But they've obviously met many times, under many circumstances, and are said to be good friends - Beatrix apparently pays private visits to see Elizabeth from time to time. The Queens Regnant Club is so very exclusive, it must be nice to kick back and chat with someone that gets it. I'm sad to see her go...but I can't deny, I would love to see the new King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima hit the U.K. on a state visit!

Photos:ANP/gahetNA/Getty Images/Bauer Griffin/Corbis

Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace

The Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace

This necklace was one of The Queen’s wedding gifts from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; the palace has referred to it as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bandeau Necklace. It was part of the Greville bequest, the collection of jewelry left to Queen Elizabeth by the Hon. Mrs. Ronald Greville when she died. Mrs. Greville purchased the necklace from Boucheron in 1907.

The necklace on display with the rest of the wedding gifts, and a detail of the center

The intricate piece is set in silver and gold and features single rubies between diamond flowers. It’s an interesting bandeau format, a deep v-shape culminating in a diamond pendant. The Queen did shorten it, as she tends to do with necklaces, by removing the two smaller floral pieces (these are the pieces you see in the photograph at the beginning of the entry - to my knowledge, they have not been converted to earrings).

The Queen wore the necklace more frequently in her younger years, but as her collection widened, her use of this one decreased. It is a statement necklace to be sure, and even shortened it conflicts with her higher necklines. After the 1980s, the bandeau necklace rested unworn in her vault.

The Duchess of Cambridge debuts the necklace

It rested in the vault until 2017, when The Queen loaned it to The Duchess of Cambridge for the Spanish state banquet. In 2018, it made a surprise reappearance on The Queen herself, sparkling in use once again.

Appearances:
19 April 2018: CHOGM Dinner 
12 July 2017: State Visit from Spain, State Banquet (on The Duchess of Cambridge)
1983: State Visit to Sweden
1982: State Visit from the Netherlands
Various Years: State Opening of Parliament 

Photos: Royal Collection/Leslie Field/Life/Getty Images

Flashback: State Visit from the Netherlands, 1982

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander, on April 30th. In her honor, we'll flashback to some of the formal visits made between the two queens during Beatrix's reign, starting with the very glittering state visit Queen Beatrix and her husband, Prince Claus, made to the United Kingdom in November 1982.

With Queen Beatrix at the arrival and exchange of gifts

The Queen (wearing the Frosted Sunflower Brooch) and the Duke of Edinburgh greeted Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus with many members of the British royal family in tow. (For video of the arrival, click here and then click on "Play Clip.") Later at Buckingham Palace, the group stepped outside to view a very special gift from Beatrix: Valentine, a bay gelding, the perfect gift for a horse-loving monarch. The Queen wore the Dorset Bow Brooch and her customary triple strand of pearls.

The state banquet, with the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Beatrix, and Prince Claus

In the evening, the Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. She wore the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara with pendant pearls along with the Duchess of Gloucester's Pendant Earrings and Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace. She wore the riband and star of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, with her sash anchored by the Kensington Bow Brooch. On her other shoulder, she wore the royal family orders of her father and grandfather; on her wrists, a bracelet (it's hard to tell which one) and an evening watch.

Click here for video of the state banquet, at which you can see other pieces of jewelry currently in the Queen's collection, including the Princess of Wales in the King Khalid Diamond Necklace, which she borrowed for the evening, and the Queen Mother in the Greville Tiara (currently on loan to the Duchess of Cornwall) and the necklace from Queen Alexandra's Wedding Parure. As for Queen Beatrix, she is wearing her impressive Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara.

The return banquet

Queen Beatrix hosted a return banquet at Hampton Court Palace where even more glitter was on display. The Queen went for rubies, wearing her Burmese Ruby Tiara, the Ruby Floret Earrings, the Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace, the County of Cornwall Bracelet, and a diamond evening watch. She wore the same orders as the first evening, and anchored her sash with the True Lover's Knot Brooch.

The Queen Mother, the Princess of Wales, and Queen Beatrix at the return banquet

The Queen Mother also opted for rubies, which are now in the Queen's collection: the Oriental Circlet and Queen Victoria's crown rubies. And the Princess of Wales once again borrowed a necklace from her mother-in-law, the Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker. Her tiara, the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, was a lifetime loan. Queen Beatrix wore Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara, though if you click here (and then click "play clip") to see video from the banquet, you'll see it was quite out-sparkled by her diamond festoon necklace.

Though we only saw two tiaras from Lilibet during the state visit, there were actually three tiara events.

The customary banquet at the Guildhall is not generally attended by the Queen (who is represented by family members), but Queen Beatrix dazzled in her large Mellerio Sapphire Tiara. It was just one of the additional events the Dutch Queen undertook during her state visit.

And that (as we let out a collective sigh about the glittering days that were) is just a taste of the 1982 state visit. In our next flashback, we'll take a look at some of the Queen's visits to the Netherlands.

Photos: Corbis/ANP/gahetNA