The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh headed to Portugal in March 1985 for a state visit to President Eanes. With her daytime brooch favorites pretty well locked in by this time (the Frosted Sunflower, the Cambridge Pearl, etc.), we'll focus on two of the trip's evening events.
A greenish evening gown is an interesting match for a ruby suite of jewels, but here we are, knee deep in The Queen's 1980s fashions.
Queen Mary's Ruby Cluster Earrings, the
Baring Ruby Necklace (acquired some twenty years prior), and the
Art Deco Diamond and Ruby Bracelet are all on display here.
That, however, is not the real reason that I jumped at the chance to cover this state visit here. The state banquet featured yet another appearance of her favorite tiara, the
Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, but she paired it with an exciting jewel selection:
Behold! A rare, rare sighting of the necklace and earrings from the Kent Amethyst Demi-Parure (
which you can read about here). As a die-hard amethyst lover, it has always pained me that we don't get to see this set more often - this is one of only two outings that I'm aware of during her reign. (The brooch is seen often on its own, though it is rare to see it with pendants as displayed here. It's also worth noting that this is still only a partial display of the set, which is said to also include hair combs.) Thank goodness the purple Order of Saint James of the Sword from Portugal brought the purple gems out to play. One of my favorite examples of Her Majesty digging deep into her vault throughout these decades, and a must for a flashback as we approach her big milestone.
Photos: via Getty Images
