12 August 2015

The Teck Crescent Tiara

The Teck Crescent Tiara
The Teck Crescent Tiara came from Queen Mary's mother, The Duchess of Teck, who in turn created it from jewels inherited from her aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester. It ended up in the possession of Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother), likely given to her by Queen Mary. It includes three wild roses and twenty crescent shapes in diamonds, with each element able to be removed for use in a brooch style. The tiara was inherited by The Queen when The Queen Mother passed away, in 2002. According to The Queen's Diamonds by Hugh Roberts, this tiara has been loaned to The Duchess of Cornwall, though we have yet to see her wear it. It hasn't been worn in public for decades, perhaps not since the 1940s.

Read more at Order of Splendor.


Photo: Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother/Munn
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10 August 2015

Balmoral Holiday, 2015

The Queen has been at Balmoral for about two weeks, staying at another property on the estate while the castle was still open for visitors. Today, August 10, was her official arrival at the Balmoral Castle, and with that, we'll start our official Balmoral Holiday post for the year.

As we did last year, sightings of Her Maj while on her Scottish estate will be collected here throughout her break. You can find a link for this post on the sidebar under Recently Updated Events. The link will tell you the last time the post was updated.

(We have some jewels to cover while she's away, so stay tuned!)

Photo: Mark Owens / Crown Copyright via British Army

  • August 19: The Sons of Scotland Pipe Band played at Balmoral for The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Countess of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor. Her Majesty was in casual mode for the private performance (read: no jewels on display), but you can read all about it at The Countess of Wessex Blog.
  • September 5: As always, The Queen attended the annual Braemar Gathering.
  • September 6: Attending Sunday service at Crathie Church, Her Maj played to her Scottish location with the Three Thistle Brooch:
  • September 13: The Queen accepted an invitation to the FEI European Eventing Championship at Blair Castle, where she presented medals. No brooch, not unusual for this houndstooth coat:

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09 August 2015

The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II

Royal Family Orders in Britain date back to George IV and are still in existence today, given to female members of the royal family. They take the form of a portrait of the sovereign set in a jeweled frame and mounted on a bow. I've written about the practice in general (and in other countries) at Order of Splendor; I've also written about the Orders worn by The Queen specifically (from her father and grandfather) on this blog. The Queen obviously has a Royal Family Order of her own to bestow upon the women of the royal family, and it is the one currently worn by The Duchess of Cornwall.

The Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, front and back
The Queen's Order features a portrait of herself wearing the George IV State Diadem, the Order of the Garter Riband and Star, the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings, and the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace. The image is taken from the famous portrait series by Dorothy Wilding in 1952 and  is painted on ivory and framed by diamonds; the diamond surround changes from reign to reign, and the version here has three brilliant diamonds between diamond baguettes all the way around, topped by a diamond Tudor crown over a red enamel cap of maintenance. Her cypher adorns the gold back side, and the medal is mounted on a pale yellow square moire silk bow with a fringe.

In Canada, 2009
The Order is The Queen's personal gift, and since the actual date of award usually remains private, the only way to know when someone has received it is to see her wear it in public. It's often given after a period of steady service to the monarchy. Current members of the royal family known to have the award are:
  • The Duchess of Cornwall  
  • The Duchess of Cambridge
  • The Countess of Wessex 
  • The Princess Royal 
  • The Duchess of Gloucester
  • The Duchess of Kent
  • Princess Alexandra of Kent
The Duchess of Cornwall was first seen wearing the Royal Family Order for the Saudi Arabian state banquet on October 30, 2007. The Duchess of Cambridge first wore her Royal Family Order, which is made using glass instead of ivory, to the 2017 Diplomatic Reception; it was first seen at the 2018 Dutch state banquet.

The Order worn by The Duchess of Cornwall
These are usually worn at tiara occasions, but - as shown above - there are some other occasions at which they may be worn. The Duchess of Cornwall can most frequently be seen wearing hers for state events, such as state banquets and the State Opening of Parliament, and also occasionally for other events.

Appearances (for The Duchess of Cornwall only):
14 October 2019: State Opening of Parliament
23 October 2018: State Visit from The Netherlands, State Banquet 
12 July 2017: State Visit from Spain, State Banquet
8 December 2016: Diplomatic Reception 
1 November 2016: State Visit from Colombia, State Banquet
18 May 2016: State Opening of Parliament
27 November 2015: Visit to Malta, Day 2, CHOGM Dinner
27 May 2015: State Opening of Parliament 
3 March 2015: State Visit from Mexico, State Banquet 
4 June 2014: State Opening of Parliament
8 April 2014: State Visit from Ireland
15 November 2013: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Dinner
8 May 2013: State Opening of Parliament
27 November 2012: State Visit from Kuwait (at Order of Splendor)
24 May 2011: State Visit from the United States (at Order of Splendor)
2010: State Visit from Qatar  
2010: State Visit from South Africa
2009: State Visit from India
2008: State Visit from France
2007: CHOGM Dinner 

Photos: Royal Household / via Getty Images
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05 August 2015

The Greville Festoon Necklace

The Greville Festoon Necklace
(In the center, one of The Queen Mother's Ruby and Diamond Floral Clips)
The Greville Festoon Necklace is one of the most impressive pieces from the Greville bequest, the collection of jewelry left to Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) in 1942 by the Hon. Mrs. Ronald Greville. The Cartier design has five rows of diamonds set in platinum, each row containing plaques of diamonds centered by large brilliants and separated by groups of two brilliants.

Queen Elizabeth in 1950, wearing all five strands for a Dutch state visit  
(she also wears the Greville Tiara in its previous design)
The necklace is really two pieces that can be worn separately or as one. The longer necklace has two strands and was made first; the shorter necklace has three strands and came later. Hugh Roberts notes in The Queen's Diamonds that the first version of the necklace with two strands had a slightly different design and was made for Mrs. Greville in 1929 using her own stones. Cartier later altered their initial creation to its current design and added the shorter necklace of three strands to sit inside, again using stones already in the Greville collection.

The Queen Mother wearing the three strand necklace on her 100th birthday
All five strands worn together make a staggeringly opulent impression. Whether acknowledging that over the top effect or simply bowing to personal preference and the practical difficulties of using such a large piece, Queen Elizabeth did not often wear all five strands, usually saving it for special occasions. She did wear the three strand version alone, especially in her later years. She used the necklace until she passed away in 2002, at which time it passed to The Queen.

The Duchess of Cornwall wearing the necklace for the first time, 2007
Along with a large portion of her late mother's collection, The Queen has loaned the Greville Festoon Necklace to The Duchess of Cornwall. She debuted it with all five strands blazing at The Queen's banquet for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2007. She has worn it only three times in public, on all occasions wearing all five strands. On two of those occasions, she paired it with the Greville Tiara. The Greville Tiara (from the same bequest, clearly) is a perfect match for this necklace, and I am hoping that we will see The Duchess begin to use the three strand version of the Festoon Necklace with it in the future.

Appearances (before 2002, on The Queen Mother; after 2007, on The Duchess of Cornwall):
25 October 2018: The Prince of Wales' 70th Birthday Concert
18 June 2015: The Duke of Wellington's Waterloo Banquet
2007: CHOGM Dinner
1960: State Visit from France   

Photos: Menkes/Royal Household, British Pathé video, via Getty Images
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02 August 2015

New Quadruple Portrait Released

A new portrait of The Queen will feature in an upcoming exhibit of photographs by Hugo Rittson-Thomas. Inspired by 16th and 17th century paintings and reminiscent of the famous triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony van Dyck, the unique photos use mirrors to create "quadruple" portraits that show the subject from all sides.
Mr. Rittson-Thomas captured The Queen in 2013 at Windsor Castle. She's wearing a burgundy dress by Angela Kelly with her usual day jewels and the badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, because the picture was taken during an event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her colonelcy of the regiment.

The exhibit is called The Queen's People, and features portraits of several other members of the Royal Household and key ceremonial figures as well.
The Duchess of Cornwall was photographed this year while dressed up to attend the Royal Academy of Arts Dinner, with the Cubitt-Shand Tiara in place (the press releases simply refer to her jewelry as "family jewelry").

The Duke of Cambridge cuts an imposing figure in the frock coat of the Irish Guards in his portrait. He is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment and was photographed in 2012 while attending their St. Patrick's Day festivities with The Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen's People will be at the Eleven Gallery, London, from August 19 to September 19. The Telegraph has a gallery with more of the portraits; ITV News and BBC News have articles with some tidbits from the photographer on his time with Her Majesty.

Photos: Hugo Rittson-Thomas
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The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Badge

The Cap Badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Example)
The badge of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards features an eagle representing "the French Imperial Eagle that was captured by Sergeant Charles Ewart, the Royal Scots Greys at Waterloo, from the French 45th Regiment of Foot," with two crossed carbines behind.
The Queen is Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment, and she has a brooch version of the badge, which appears to be set with diamonds. As with the rest of her regimental badges, she wears it when attending events related to the regiment.

Appearances:
5 July 2018: Holyrood Week: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Visit
28 September 2015: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Visit
2015: Hugo Rittson-Thomas Portrait (taken in 2013)

Photos: British Army, AFP via Getty Images
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01 August 2015

Flashback: The Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten, on "New" Video

The Associated Press and British Movietone recently made public a "new" bit of old video from the wedding of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, held on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey. There are a lot of crowd shots and such, but also some really nice shots of the royal family merrily waving away on the balcony.

Watch it here:

In addition to the gems of the bride, this is a great look at Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) and Queen Mary bedecked in their finest jewels. The necklace of Queen Alexandra's Wedding Parure (which I would love to see paired with the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara some day), Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Brooch, and "Granny's Chips" - a.k.a. the Cullinan III and IV Brooch - on Granny herself are just the highlights. Enjoy!
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