More than two and a half years have passed since the gala dinner took place at Buckingham Palace. It so happened that the event, organized by the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, coincided with the debut of Charles and Camilla as king and queen consort, and Kate Middleton to princess of wales. A role in which Prince William’s wife immediately demonstrated that she knew how to fall, demonstrating elegance, composure and natural grace. Thanks also to Jenny Packham’s fabulous total white cape-sleeved dress, which made her look regal at last night’s banquet with pearl and sequin studded spaghetti straps. However, the attention of the royal observers was riveted to the crown, and if some were disappointed by the somewhat obvious choice Lover’s Knot Tiara, it seemed to us the most appropriate gem to pay tribute to the memory of the two great women who wore it and loved it so much: Lady Diana and Queen Elizabeth. But let’s trace its history together.
Sparkling diamond crown and pearls – one of the most famous in the private collection of Queen Elizabeth, numbering about three hundred jewels. Contrary to what is commonly thought, the late sovereign was not the first owner of the tiara. Instead, Queen Mary of Teck, wife of George V and therefore Elizabeth’s grandmother, had it commissioned from the royal goldsmith Garrard in 1914 from a pre-existing model owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who married in 1818. first Duke of Cambridge and attended the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838 with this jewel. Inherited by her daughter Augusta Caroline, who married the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1843, the love knot tiara – that’s what its name means, inspired by a piece of jewelry of Celtic origin that returned to the Georgian era, becomes the object of Mary’s desire, who decides to do just that before the start of the First World War.
The queen herself takes care of the extraction of pearls and diamonds suitable for the “daring enterprise”, and soon the masterpiece is ready. The model replicates the original theory of teardrop pearls topped with diamond bows, however, unlike the nineteenth century gemstone, it can be taken apart and the pearls can also be used as a necklace. When Mary of Teck died in March 1953, Queen Elizabeth became the heiress, who was to be crowned within a few months. From her grandmother, the empress inherits a whole jewelry box and Lover’s Knot Tiara tiara this is just one of many. After decades, she somewhat unexpectedly reappeared on Diana’s head in 1984 on the occasion of the opening of parliament, in 1989 in Hong Kong, in 1990 during a state visit to Tokyo, in 1991 during a royal tour of the United States.
Lady Diana was in love with this gem, but, contrary to what some assumed, it was not a wedding gift, but a temporary loan that was actually returned to Elisabetta after her death in 1997. The sovereign first granted it to Kate in 2015 on the occasion of a diplomatic reception. Since then, there have been occasions to show it off, the last of which was last night, paired with a four-strand pearl bracelet with a platinum and diamond clasp that also belonged to Elisabetta. Another tribute from the future queen to the queen.
Source: Elle