Waldegrave Tiara

Happy Birthday to Lady Susan Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley, who turns 80 today! The daughter of the 12th Earl and Countess Waldegrave, sister of the 13th Earl Waldegrave and Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, and the widow Baron Hussey of North Bradley who is the Queen’s long serving Woman of the Bedchamber and one of the godmothers of the Duke of Cambridge, Lady Susan has attended a plethora of glittering occasions, often wearing this family heirloom-

Featuring chain-link diamond scrolls, the Waldegrave Tiara is often worn with it’s mirrored necklace, and was first pictured on the 9th Countess Waldegrave at the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902. While there are no images of earlier or subsequent Countess, it is assumed that the Tiara would have been worn at Coronations and glittering occasions. UPDATE- It appears that the Tiara was worn by the 12th Countess Waldegrave, the mother of Lady Susan, at the State Opening of Parliament in 1960.

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While she wore another Tiara in her earlier years as a Lady-in-Waiting (possibly another family piece), Lady Susan has frequently worn the Waldegrave Tiara at a variety of glittering occasions since the mid 1960s, most notably the State Openings of Parliament, for decades. The Tiara was last seen at the Queen’s Commonwealth Dinner at Buckingham Palace last year. It is unknown if Lady Susan inherited the piece or borrows it from her brother, but there is no doubt we will continue to see it for years to come.

In 2023, Lady Susan’s daughter, Katharine, Lady Brooke, wore the Waldegrave Tiara at a State Banquet for the South Korean President and First Lady at Buckingham Palace

2 thoughts on “Waldegrave Tiara

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