Welcoming guests is their specialty: between state visits, receptions, garden parties, investitures and private audiences, the royal family welcomed around 62,000 people to the palace last year. Visitors get to enter through the Grand Entrance, see the ballroom all set up as it is at state banquets, and more.
The exhibit promised a display of The Queen's jewelry - as it should, since no state banquet would be complete without some dazzling diamonds - and now we get a peek at the selections. From the gallery above, you'll see the following pieces (at least):
- Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara is the sparkliest of them all, and if you haven't seen it in person, get thee to the palace tout de suite.
- The Queen's Royal Family Orders.
- The Coronation Necklace and Earrings, with gobstopper diamonds that must really be seen to be believed.
- The Dorset Bow Brooch.
- Among the orders on display is the Riband and Star of the Darjah Utama Temasek (Order of Temasek) from Singapore. Together with the jewels, this is the same combo that she wore to the 2014 Singapore banquet, except she paired it with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara at the time.
The Buckingham Palace ballroom is now set up as it would be for a State Banquet, for the summer opening to the public pic.twitter.com/3M3Wgx7XP0
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) July 24, 2015
And much more! If you can't be there, you can always order the exhibition book the Royal Collection puts out, click here for that. The State Rooms are open now through September 27th.
