The Queen visited Ballater, Aberdeenshire, near the Balmoral Estate, where she checked in on residents hit by severe flooding last December.
Today The Queen met members of the local community in #Ballater who were affected by flooding in the lead up to the New Year in 2016. pic.twitter.com/GpleqjOOsB
She's back! The Queen started to gradually end her Balmoral break with Scottish appearances, as is her tradition. We didn't even get that many Sunday church sightings during the Balmoral holiday this year, so I'm extra glad to see her back at it. (I did catalog what I could in our Balmoral Holiday 2016 post, of course.)
As anyone who follows The Queen's jewelry knows, her favorite earrings for daytime are a classic combination of diamond and pearl. She has a few variations on this combination in her collection, including a pair of earrings with round diamonds above pearl pendants.
These earrings were most notably worn by The Queen for the big celebration of her Silver Jubilee in 1977 (hence the name I'm using to identify them), when they were paired with her pink Hardy Amies outfit and famous Simone Mirman flower hat. Though the design is along the same lines as her favorites and she wore them in 1995*, this pair of earrings did not make it into the regular rotation. They have remained primarily associated with the Silver Jubilee era.
They're not worn publicly by The Queen today, but this pair of earrings has made it into the group of jewels that she loans to family members.
The Countess of Wessex Cour grand-ducale
In 2012, while visiting Luxembourg for the wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke, The Countess of Wessex wore what appeared to be the same pair of earrings. During the same trip, she also wore the Five Aquamarine Tiara and the King Faisal Diamond Necklace for the first time, both on loan from The Queen, so we know at least some jewel loaning occurred in advance. The similarity and possibility of an earring loan was noticed by Anna from the Countess of Wessex blog.
In 2016 in Canada The Duchess of Cambridge also wore these earrings. This is a common design - as demonstrated by the Heavenly Necklaces company initially appearing to identify the earrings as their own make - but when they were worn again by The Duchess of Cambridge on a visit to the Netherlands, it was confirmed by the palace that the earrings had been loaned to her by The Queen (thanks to Anna's original hunch).
Duchess of Cambridge earrings could be on loan by HM as I recall Sophie wearing same ones only 1 time to royal wedding. HM wore those in '77 pic.twitter.com/u97iF39Um5
When we covered Princess Marie Louise's Diamond Sunburst Brooch recently, some of you noted that Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother had also worn it during a French state visit. Absolutely correct - and it wasn't the only unusual jewel selection made during that state visit.
Video: On the Buckingham Palace balcony, during the state dinner
President Charles de Gaulle came to London for a state visit in April 1960. The Queen was just returning to public engagements after Prince Andrew's birth; Princess Margaret was recently engaged to Antony Armstrong-Jones. The state visit aimed to impress the French leader by pulling out every last bit of available pomp and circumstance, including an unusual stop on the Buckingham Palace balcony during the state dinner for fireworks and a wave to the crowds.
While The Queen wore favorite pieces - the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara and Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace - The Queen Mother conveyed the importance of the visit by wearing her crown! Without the arches and cap, the crown made for the 1937 coronation becomes a terribly important circlet (she also wore it in this fashion at The Queen's coronation). As though that wasn't enough, all five strands of the Greville Festoon Necklace sparkled around her neck.
These old state visits included multiple tiara events, of course. Next up was dinner at the French embassy:
Princess Margaret doubled up on her tiaras, which is never a bad strategy. She wore the Lotus Flower Tiara in her hair (it's showcased beautifully in the video below) and the Poltimore Tiara as a necklace.
Video: The Royal Opera House event begins at 4:32
And so many more! There are additional royals and jewels to spot in the video above, so go ahead and bask in the splendor of this extra special state visit. It may have been the most significantly bejeweled of The Queen's reign.
Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, AP/British Pathe screencaps
From those of you who have visited the fashion exhibition at Buckingham Palace during this year's summer opening, I've heard consistent praise - and surprise - regarding one outfit in particular: The Queen's ensemble for the wedding of Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, which was held on
April 24, 1963 at Westminster Abbey. Indeed, in the event that you are able to pull yourself from the yards of lace in the bride's John Cavanagh gown - and then pull yourself from whatever is going on with Princess Margaret's hat/hair situation after that (watch the video above, you'll see) - what you'll find is The Queen beating Elie Saab at his own game, decades before he had a game.
Norman Hartnell dressed The Queen for the occasion, creating an eau-de-nil dress with lily of the valley embellishment of silk flowers and embroidery at the waist and a gauzy matching coat with three-quarter length sleeves. The hat, by Simone Mirman, is packed with more of the flowers. Hartnell's work for The Queen is known for its impressive embroidery and beading, but this impresses in the lightness of the outfit as well as the exemplary craftsmanship.
Royal Collection Trust
It's lovely, isn't it? I'm glad we got a closer look at it. Getting a closer look at the jewelry still proves tricky, however. From what we can see, The Queen wore the Teck Corsage Brooch with a larger double strand of pearls (perhaps the Hanoverian pearls; what looks like a significant diamond clasp is visible in the video above). The Queen Mother was also decked out with a triple strand of pearls, the Greville Peardrop Earrings, and Queen Victoria's Fringe Brooch. Classic sparkle all around.
This outfit is on display at Buckingham Palace's summer exhibition, Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen's Wardrobe, open now through October 2, 2016.
Princess Marie Louise (1872-1956) was born Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, daughter of Princess Helena and granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She married Prince Aribert of Anhalt in 1891, an ill-fated match that ended with her father-in-law annulling the union without Marie Louise's knowledge while she was out of the country. After that, she returned home on Queen Victoria's orders and there she remained, eventually dropping her German title along with the rest of the Windsors during World War I. "Cousin Louie" was a colorful member of the extended royal family, one who attended the coronation of The Queen in 1953 with her own supply of gin and tonic in hand, leading to her riding back to Buckingham Palace while half hanging out of the carriage window in the rain to wave to the crowds. (One of my favorite coronation stories.)
Princess Marie Louise at The Queen's coronation
Marie Louise was draped in jewels for that coronation, including a diamond sunburst brooch on her shoulder. The brooch has a large round top portion with rays of diamonds radiating from a central diamond cluster, and a similar, smaller version as a pendant beneath. The brooch's exact origin is not known; Royal Magazin points out that there were a few diamond star brooches among Princess Marie Louise's wedding gifts, including from Queen Victoria. The brooch was also worn by Princess Helena Victoria (1870-1948), Marie Louise's sister.
Marie Louise
She never married again, and had no children. When she passed away in 1956, Princess Marie Louise left jewels to multiple of people, including The Queen. The Cartier Indian Tiara went to her godson, Prince Richard, currently The Duke of Gloucester. The Diamond Sunburst Brooch was inherited by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother wore the brooch publicly just a couple of times, including for the official family portrait released to mark The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's 1972 Silver Wedding. Following her 2002 death, it would have passed to The Queen, where it is still waiting for a reappearance on Her Majesty, or as a loan to The Duchess of Cornwall or another family member. The diamond rays of this brooch are very much like those found in popular Russian fringe/kokoshnik tiara designs, and I can't help but think it's aching to be paired up with one of those classic tiara models.
Probably the best thing about this outfit - which I love, because purple - is that it often brings the promise of an amethyst brooch. Not for this occasion, though! The Braemar Feather Brooch was Her Maj's Golden Jubilee gift from the Braemar Royal Highland Society, and she's worn it annually ever since.
This tiara, also referred to as the Papyrus Leaf Tiara, originally belonged to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Queen Mother gave it to Princess Margaret, who wore it often and also loaned it to her daughter-in-law, Viscountess Linley, as a wedding tiara. Following Princess Margaret's 2002 death, the tiara made its way into The Queen's collection. The Duchess of Cambridge borrowed it for her first tiara event after her wedding, and has worn it again since.
