A LOOK BACK AT THE OTHER CORONATION JEWELS - THE ONES ON THE GUESTS!

If most eyes were on the Crown Jewels this time last year, the May 6 Coronation saw another display of gems and jewellery - from the many distinguished guests at Westminster Abbey.

Here, in case you missed them, are some of the most remarkable…

Queen Mary of Denmark (as the Crown Princess)

Mary wore a recent birthday present from her mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe: an enormous cabochon turquoise and diamond brooch with a similar sized matching pendant suspended, and a pair of identical (but smaller) earrings once belonged to Empress Catherine the Great of Russia.

They came to the Danish royal family in earlier generations through Crown Princess Margaret of Sweden, who gave them to her daughter, Queen Ingrid of Denmark – the mother of Queen Margrethe. 

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands

The Queen lived up to her name, as ever, and wore jewels from the Dutch Royal Collection to make maximum impact.

Her enormous earrings were set with diamonds from the Stuart Tiara, which she wore for a recent State Banquet in the Netherlands.

The tiara got its name from the 40-carat diamond that sits at the front apex (between those she wore as earrings). It was originally bought by Queen Mary II of England of the House of Stuart, with her Dutch husband, King William. They were England's only jointly reigning monarchs.

After their deaths, the diamond was returned to the Netherlands.   

Queen Letizia of Spain

Letizia wore a pair of large diamond button earrings that also have a connection to the UK.

They had once belonged to Victoria Eugenie, who became the Queen Consort of Spain in 1906, and who was the daughter of Princess Beatrice, fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria.

Queen Ena, as she was known, first wore the earrings at her wedding in May 1906 to King Alfonso XIII. She would wear them throughout her reign and later, when in exile.

They had been a present from her husband.

They are each set with a 10 carat round brilliant diamond surrounded by 12 smaller diamonds.

Queen Ena left them as part of the Joyas de pasar jewellery collection, which gets passed down from queen to queen.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium

Mathilde’s pearl and diamond drop earrings had belonged to the late Queen Fabiola of Belgium and worked perfectly with the seven-strand pearl and diamond necklace on view at the Coronation.

Mathilde’s very pretty butterfly brooch, set with diamonds, was made around 1900 and bought recently at auction. She wore it at the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

Queen Suthida of Thailand

Suthida went for a demi parure of superb sapphires and diamonds that had belonged to her mother-in-law, Queen Sirikit.

The large pendant of the necklace is thought to have come from Van Cleef in the 1960s, and Sirikit then added to it with the rest of the suite in the 1970s, which she wore many times as Queen Consort - including in 1996, during Queen Elizabeth's State Visit to Thailand.

Queen Suthida also wore several diamond brooches and a huge multicoloured gem set and diamond star brooch, which she wore attached to a gold belt at her waist. 

Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah of Malaysia

The Malaysian queen wore a long diamond fringe necklace along with several beautiful diamond brooches in various designs.

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece

Anne-Marie’s diamond Swan brooch is beautiful.

In Ancient Greece the swan symbolised grace and love. It was also made sacred by Apollo, who used swans to pull his chariot through the skies.

She wore this piece of jewellery for the wedding of her son, Crown Prince Pavlos, to Marie-Chantal Miller in 1995.

The Princess of Wales

Catherine’s crystal headpiece by Jess Collett received much attention, not least because of her decision not to wear a royal tiara.

There was further admiration for her daughter Princess Charlotte's mini-me matching garland.

Kate did, however, wear a pair of favourite earrings, that had belonged to her mother-in law, Diana Princess of Wales; the diamond horseshoe and laurel-leaf earrings, with pearl drop pendants. Diana often wore these but with a far larger pair of pears.

In the official photograph we see Kate in a very special Diamond Festoon necklace that had been commissioned by George VI in 1950 from 105 diamond collets (a type of setting whereby the round diamond is surrounded by a ring of gold, or platinum), that Queen Victoria had left as 'Heirlooms of the Crown'.

Her late Majesty often wore The Diamond Festoon Necklace at State Dinners.

The Duchess of Edinburgh

Sophie was part of the procession during the Coronation and to complement her Order of the Garter Robes, she wore a pair of Graff diamond and sapphire chandelier earrings, and a diamond and sapphire bracelet.

Her daughter Lady Louise wore a delicate diamond necklace and pair of earrings from Cartier's Mini Coeur Collection.

The King’s nieces

The King's nieces Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie accessorised their outfits with a combination of old and new jewels.

Zara borrowed an exquisite antique diamond festoon brooch which the king had given his sister, her mother Princess Anne, as a wedding present in 1973.

While her cousins wore contemporary pieces by Garrard who, as Crown Jeweller created and reset many of the Crown Jewels in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Beatrice's earrings were set with pink sapphires, rubellites and opals; whilst Eugenie wore a white gold and diamond necklace and matching earrings from the Albemarle Collection.

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2024-05-06T06:26:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd