Always remember to polish your crown.
Queen Camilla wore a rarely seen tiara, the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, as she hosted her annual diplomatic reception at Windsor Castle last night.
She paired a dazzling headpiece with a white embroidered evening dress and a blue garter sash for the evening’s festivities.
Interestingly, Camilla seems to be using her jewelery to send messages of support to her step-grandchildren Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Other members of the royal family, including Duchess Kate, have been known to make similar silent gestures with their jewelry.
In addition to the tiara, Camila wore a pear-shaped diamond demiparure and a Van Cleef & Arpels snake necklace inherited from her grandmother. She also wore the Queen Mother’s all-diamond Cartier Art Deco bracelets, one on each wrist. Her belt included Queen Victoria’s diamond bar brooch.
The tiara’s design was inspired by the kokoshnik headdress of the Russian Romanov family, created by Boucheron in 1921 for Madame Margaret Greville, a close friend of the Empress Dowager.
After Greville died in 1942, the building was famously bequeathed to the Empress Dowager. However, neither the Empress nor Queen Elizabeth II wore this tiara in public.
The Greville Bequest is interesting because, unlike the Royal Crown Jewels, it is privately owned by the family. The public knows only a few of the jewels that were included in this large gift.
After Greville’s estate was finalized, the Empress Dowager received a black tin trunk marked “MHG” and when she opened it, she discovered a veritable treasure trove containing more than 60 pieces of jewelry by the world’s most famous designers.
Princess Eugenie wore the tiara for the first time in public, having borrowed it from Queen Elizabeth II for her wedding in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in October 2018.
Her younger sister, Princess Beatrice, famously wore Queen Elizabeth II’s vintage white Norman Hartnell dress to her private wedding at All Saints Royal Chapel, Windsor’s Royal Lodge, during the COVID-19 pandemic in July 2020.
She is only the second member of the British royal family to wear the tiara, and she appears to be signaling support for princesses at a time when they need it so much.
Their father, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was stripped of his royal titles at the end of October.
Around the same time, it was announced that the sisters would hold the royal titles. Their mother, Sarah Ferguson, can no longer use “Duchess of York” in any capacity.
Although they are not officially considered “working royals,” Princess Eugenie and Beatrice continue to attend family events, and their relatives have shown support for them amid the scandal.
As Queen, Duchess Camilla frequently takes out the palace’s iconic archives (as well as the family’s private collection) for public appearances and high-profile events. She frequently selects jewelry that dates back generations, much of which has not been seen since the last century.
For Christmas 2023, Camilla wore a raspberry pip brooch that reportedly belonged to the Queen Mother’s biological mother, the Countess of Strathmore.
Another favorite is Queen Elizabeth II’s sapphire and diamond necklace and bracelet. It was part of a jewelery suite given to the late Queen as a wedding gift by her father, King George VI, in 1947, and was named the King George VI Sapphire Suite.
The list goes on…
With such treasures at her disposal, it’s no surprise that she uses her jewelry to send messages of support and remembrance to others.
Needless to say, Queen Camilla’s regal style is downright sophisticated.
