Duchess of Kent’s Tiaras

Happy Birthday to the Duchess of Kent, who turns 84 today. The wife of the Queen’s first cousin, the Duchess has been attending grand royal events since her wedding in 1961. Here we take a look at the stunning royal tiaras she has worn to those events, some reflecting the Kent’s financial circumstances throughout the past 50 years. Click HERE to see our biography on the Duchess. As always, click on the underlined / highlighted links to get to the post about a person / tiara / or event. 

Cambridge Sapphire Parure

Embed from Getty Images

Made for Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge, youngest daughter-in-law of King George III, the Cambridge Sapphire Parure, consisting of a grand tiara, pair of earrings, a long necklace or a shorter choker necklace, a stomacher, smaller brooches, and bracelets, was given to her daughter, Princess Augusta, when she married the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1843. The parure was left to her niece, Queen Mary, in 1916, who gave it to her daughter-in-law, Princess Marina of Greece, when she married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, in 1934. The Duchess of Kent wore the Tiara and parure for many grand occasions until her death in 1968, when it passed to the current Duchess, who wore the parure a few times until the tiara was sold. However, a smaller Tiara and some more jewels were created from elements of the long necklace, which were worn by the Duchess at a few events before she retired from public duties in 2002. UPDATE- Parts of the remaining Parure were worn by Moira of Moira Fine Art Jewellery,  who have confirmed that they still retain those pieces but they are not for resale.

Kent Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara

Embed from Getty Images

The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara first appeared on Katherine, Duchess of Kent in the 1970s, but is thought to have been a modified version of the crochet bandeau tiara once owned by Queen Mary and also worn by Princess Alexandra. The Bandeau was worn by the Duchess at her Wedding and at most of her early tiara events. The Pearl Fringe tiara has also been worn by the Countess of St. Andrews and Lady Helen Taylor, daughter-in-law and daughter of the Duchess. Read the full post HERE.

Kent Festoon Tiara

First worn by Princess Marina, the Festoon Tiara was also worn by Princess Alexandra. The Duchess wore the tiara at Independence Ceremonies of Uganda and Gambia in the 1960s, on loan from Princess Marina. The Festoon Tiara is now owned and worn by Princess Michael of Kent. Read the full post HERE.

Fouquet Aquamarine Tiara

Embed from Getty Images

Made by Georges Fouquet in 1908, the Duchess wore this tiara at a couple of occasions in the 1990s, but never seen again. However, it is thought that it was only on loan to the Duchess and was seen on another lady at the State Opening of Parliament in 2013.  In 2014, the Aquamarine Tiara was sold at Sotheby’s for $204,500.

Screen Shot 2017-02-21 at 5.39.04 PM.png

For more information, check out our posts on the other Kent Jewels:

Kent Pearl Bandeau

Ogilvy Tiara

Princess Marina’s Girandole Earrings

This article is dedicated to @Princeroyal99, one of the most committed Duchess of Kent fans I have ever encountered!

Leave a Reply