At yesterday’s Spanish State Banquet at Buckingham Palace, the Duchess if Cambridge gave royal watchers a surprise when she showed up in a necklace that had been unseen in 30 years. Learn about this stunning jewel below-!
Greville Tiara | Greville Emerald Tiara | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Ruby Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace | Greville Emerald Earrings | Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Diamond Bow Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Greville Ivy Leaf Clips
In 1907, Hon Mrs Greville commissioned this spectacular Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace at Boucheron in Paris, consisting of large rubies set in a a delicate floral design, shaped in a distinctive triangle, with a large pear-shaped diamond pendant.
Dame Margaret Greville, the Hon Mrs Greville was not pictured wearing the Boucheron Ruby Necklace, and on her death in 1942, the majority of her magnificent Jewellery Collection, all pieces valued over 100 pounds, was inherited by Queen Elizabeth. In 1942, the Queen wrote to Queen Mary:
I must tell you that Mrs Greville has left me her jewels, She has left them to me ‘with her loving thoughts,’ dear old thing, and I feel very touched, I don’t suppose I shall see what they consist of for a long time, owing to the slowness of lawyers & death duties etc, but it is rather exciting to be left something, and I do admire beautiful stones with all my heart.”
When the jewels arrived to the Queen a few months later, there was much unwanted press attention on the contents of the initialled black trunk, which included the Greville Diamond Tiara, an Emerald Tiara, the Festoon Necklace, the Diamond Chandelier Earrings, Emerald Earrings, the Ruby Necklace, two Emerald Necklaces, Ivy Leaf Clips, Diamond Bow Brooch, and a pair of Pearl Earrings, alongside several spectacular Diamond Earrings, Necklaces, Brooches and Bracelets, the true extent of which has never been publicly revealed.
When Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1947, she received the Greville Ruby Necklace, along with the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings, as a wedding present from her mother, Queen Elizabeth, which were also among the jewels on display at St James’s Palace.
It took a few years for Princess Elizabeth to debut the Greville Ruby Necklace, which was worn with the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara for a Banquet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa in 1951, as well as being worn for a Flower Ball and a Ball at the Savoy Hotel in 1951.
Following her Accession to the Throne, the Greville Ruby Necklace was worn by the Queen for a Banquet held by the Foreign Office at Lancaster House in London, to celebrate the Coronation, paired with the Vladimir Tiara, and was later worn with the Lover’s Knot Tiara for a State Reception at the City Hall in Hobart during the 6-month Commonwealth Tour.
In the mid-1950s, the Queen usually wore the Greville Ruby Necklace with Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara, for the Royal Variety Performance in 1955, the British State Visit to Sweden and the Iraqi State Visit to Britain in 1956, as well as a Tour of India and State Visit to Iran in 1961.
The Queen continued to wear the Greville Ruby Necklace through the 1960s, being worn for the Royal Variety Performance in 1962, a visit to New Zealand and Australia in 1963, the Greek State Visit to Britain in 1963, and a visit to Canada in 1964.
The Greville Ruby Necklace then disappeared from public view for almost two decades, until appearing at the State Opening of Parliament in 1983, being worn also worn with the George IV State Diadem for an Official Portrait in 1987, when it again disappeared.
Three decades later, the Greville Ruby Necklace appeared on the then Duchess of Cambridge, paired with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara and Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Earrings, at the State Banquet for King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain at Buckingham Palace.
The following year, the Queen wore the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace for the first time in over 30 years, along with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, at her Commonwealth Dinner at Buckingham Palace in April 2018. The necklace has not yet been worn again publicly since, but lets hope we see it worn again soon!
Greville Tiara | Greville Emerald Tiara | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Ruby Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace | Greville Emerald Earrings | Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Diamond Bow Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Greville Ivy Leaf Clips
Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Vladimir Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Belgian Sapphire Tiara
Burmese Ruby Tiara
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara
Plunket Tiara
Five Aquamarine Tiara
Imperial State Crown
George IV State Diadem
Necklaces
Coronation Necklace and Earrings
The Cambridge Emerald Parure
Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace
King George VI Sapphire Suite
Queen’s Three-Strand Pearl Necklace
King George VI Festoon Necklace
Queen’s South African Diamonds
Queen’s City of London Fringe Necklace
Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace
Greville Ruby Necklace
Queen’s Japanese Pearl Choker
Kent Amethyst Parure
Queen’s Emerald Tassel Suite
Empress Maria Feodorovna’s Sapphire Choker
Greville Emerald Necklace
Queen’s Dubai Sapphire Suite
King Khalid Diamond Necklace
Pakistani Turquoise Necklace
The Queen’s Sapphires
Earrings
Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings
Duchess of Gloucester’s Pendant Earrings
Queen Victoria’s Pearl Earrings
Queen’s Bahrain Pearl Earrings
Antique Diamond Earrings
Queen’s Pear-Drop Diamond Earrings
Queen’s Silver Jubilee Earrings
Brooches
The Cullinan Diamond
Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches
Queen’s Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch
Duchess of Cambridge’s Pearl Pendant Brooch
Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher
Prince Albert’s Sapphire Brooch
Queen Victoria’s 11 Pearl Brooch
Queen Adelaide’s Diamond Brooch
Queen Mary’s Diamond Thistle Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Fringe Brooch
Queen Mary’s Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Wheat Ear Brooches
Queen Mary’s Celtic Knot Brooch
Teck Flower Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Brooch
Maple Leaf Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Crown Ruby Brooch
Queen’s Welsh Guards Leek Brooch
Queen’s Brigade of Guards Brooch
Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bar Brooches
Bracelets
Queen’s Engagement Ring
Queen’s Wedding Gift Bracelet
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bracelet
Queen Mother’s Cartier Bracelets
Regalia and Honours
Imperial State Crown
George IV State Diadem
The Coronation Regalia
Honours of Scotland
British Royal Orders
The Commonwealth Royal Orders
Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
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Given as a wedding gift to the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947 by her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (now known as the Queen Mother), this Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace was original purchased from Boucheron in 1907, by the Hon. Mrs. Ronald Greville, a good friend of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (they even spent their honeymoon at her country house). Upon her death in 1942, she left her entire collection of magnificent jewels to Queen Elizabeth. While the Queen kept several pieces for her own use, she gave this necklace and a few other jewels as wedding gifts to their eldest daughter.
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As a distinguished statement piece in a still small collection, the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace was worn for quite a few events after the wedding, including a 1951 Tour of Canada.
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The necklace remained a favourite even after becoming Queen in 1952, with the ‘v’ shape going particularly well with the v-neck and strapless gowns of the time. The Queen, who prefers shorter necklaces, shortened the piece by removing two pieces from the ends.
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However, despite a few notable appearances in the 1960s (including the famous photo above), appearances of the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace started to decrease, especially with the Queen’s necklines going up. It was also around this time, the Queen acquired the Baring Ruby Necklace, which filled in the gap of a ruby necklace in her collection.
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One of the last remarkable appearances of the necklace was at the State Opening of Parliament in 1983.
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The very last time the Queen was pictured wearing the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace was in an Official Portrait in 1987.
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Then, in July 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace, along with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara and Diana, Princess of Wales’ Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings, at the State Banquet for King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. I thought the Duchess wore the piece very well. Her neckline and gown looked custom made for the necklace, and she looked absolutely stunning. I look forward to seeing her wear it again!
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UPDATE- The Queen wore the Greville Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace for the first time in 31 years at her Commonwealth Dinner at Buckingham Palace in April 2018. Maybe the Queen saw the necklace on her granddaughter-in-law and wondered “why haven’t I worn this beautiful piece for years?”
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