The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh made one of their many trips to France in 1972, for a state visit complete with a state dinner given in The Queen's honor by President Pompidou at the Grand Trianon at Versailles.
Her favorite assembled pearl parure, the
Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara with the
Duchess of Gloucester's Pendant Earrings and
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace, were (and are) favorites of The Queen for state visits, so no surprise there. And of course she wore the red riband and star from France's Order of the Legion of Honour and her
Royal Family Orders as well.
There was a surprise to be found in her jewelry selections, though: the brooch. This was perhaps the only time in her reign she wore the
triple drop pearl and diamond brooch from Queen Alexandra's Wedding Parure in public, up until it reappeared in 2014. Why so long a wait? That's a mystery indeed.
What may have been more famous than the occasion here was her Hardy Amies dress. Or, rather, it would
become more famous, as a few years later she wore it to sit for her Silver Jubilee portrait. Later interpreted by Andy Warhol and featured on the cover of a Sex Pistols album, the portrait would reach iconic status.
The dress is now featured in Kensington Palace's
Fashion Rules Revisited exhibition, highlights of which were
covered on the other blog earlier this month. Check out the video above for the story of the dress (plus some extra tidbits about one of Princess Margaret's saucy looks).
Photos: via Getty Images
