The official opening of Parliament last month was a special day for Queen Camilla in more ways than one.
As well as being one of the most important events of the year, it was Her Majesty’s 77th birthday.
Given the majestic occasion, both she and King Charles were dressed to impress.
While Her Majesty wore the Imperial State Crown, it was Camilla who stood out with the diamond tiara, along with Queen Alexandra’s necklace.
This latest piece is set with 31 graduated antique diamonds from the Golconda mine in India.
Queen Elizabeth II eventually inherited the antique and wore it on several occasions, including during a royal tour to Canada in 2010.
According to Hugh Roberts’s encyclopedic tome The Queen’s Diamonds, this remarkable piece (and the pair of earrings that form part of the demi-parure) were presented to Alexandra by the City of London Corporation on the occasion of her wedding to Bertie, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) in March 1863.
Despite being hand-cut, their diamonds are as exquisite as any cut today. “Old-mine cut diamonds beautifully showcase the art of 19th-century diamond cutting,” says Grant Mobley, jewelry editor for the New York-based Natural Diamond Council.
Queen Camilla wore the diamond tiara at the State Opening of Parliament last month, marking her 77th birthday. She also wore Queen Alexandra’s necklace. Above: Camilla in the official Diamond Jubilee carriage as it makes its way down The Mall towards Parliament, 17 July 2024
Her necklace could be worn as a choker and was a gift from the City of London Corporation to the Danish Princess on the occasion of her wedding to Bertie, the future Edward VII, in 1863.
‘They reflect a time when cutting was a true craft executed solely by an artist’s vision of the rough diamond.’
Five of its diamonds were removable, allowing Alexandra to wear it as a choker, either alone or attached to a velvet ribbon.
She often wore chokers or diamond necklaces to cover a small scar she had on her neck as a child.
The Diamond Diadem, also called the State Diadem, was created for the coronation of King George IV in 1821.
It was subsequently worn (and slightly modified) by queens, both reigning and consort, including Queen Elizabeth II, who first wore it for the State Opening of Parliament in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the official tiara, heads to Westminster to preside over the first official State Opening of Parliament since her accession to the throne in 1952
Queen Elizabeth on her way to Westminster Abbey for her coronation ceremony in 1953
The Collet diamond necklace worn by Queen Camilla is set with 31 graduated old-cut Golconda diamonds and the dazzling diamond earrings were also worn on her birthday and were part of what is known as the Modern Diamond Suite.
The Queen wore the Collet diamond necklace when she attended a dinner hosted by the Canadian Government in her honour at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Canada in 2010.
She wore it again the following year during the lead-up to her own coronation and then again during the journey to each state inauguration during her 70-year reign.
It is set with 1,333 diamonds, including an exquisite cross at the front, with two bands of pearls around the headband.
He is best known for the fact that his outline appears as part of the Queen’s silhouette on postage stamps.
On her birthday, Camilla also wore a dazzling pair of diamond earrings that are part of what is known as the ‘Modern Diamond Suite’.
It is made from diamonds originally set in a tiara that Charles bought at auction in 2005.
It consists of a necklace, set with marquise and oval diamonds, from which pear shapes hang; and the pair of earrings with a cascading drop of pear-shaped diamonds.
But the Queen doesn’t have pierced ears. In 2023, she told British Vogue: “…nothing is going to pierce my ears.”
That means she has to wear clip-on earrings. I imagine most of the earrings in the Royal Collection cannot be altered, so she wears them quite often with different jewellery.
Camilla’s outing at the State Inauguration proved that diamonds, from the oldest to the newest, really are forever…and a birthday girl’s best friend!
