Happy Birthday to the Duchess of Gloucester, who turns 75 today! The wife of the Queen’s cousin, the Duchess has been a hardworking member of the Royal Family for almost 50 years, and possesses an enormous collection of heirloom jewellery, bigger than some main royal collections, which includes the splendid Gloucester Diamond Necklace Tiara!
Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara | Teck Turquoise Tiara | Cartier India Tiara | Iveagh Tiara | Diamond Necklace Tiara | Pearl and Emerald Suite | Emerald Necklace | Queen Mary’s 11-row Pearl Choker | Diamond Corsage Brooch | Emerald Necklace | The Duchess of Gloucester’s Tiaras
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester wearing the Gloucester Diamond Necklace Tiara!
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— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) June 20, 2021
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester wearing the Gloucester Diamond Necklace Tiara!
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Featuring collet diamond in a surrounding frame, this splendid diamond necklace/tiara is of an unknown provenance but was not among the Duchess of Gloucester’s wedding gifts in 1935, and may have possibly been created from a diamond tiara given to her as a wedding gift from the Duke, which was not publicly worn after the 1930s. Princess Alice was never pictured wearing this piece as a necklace but often wore it as a Tiara, which may have been its original intent, from as early as 1938 through to the 1940s and 1950s, most notably for the Royal School of Needlework Reception at St James’ Palace in 1951.
The current Duchess of Gloucester expected life as a minor royal with a career, but became the Duchess soon after her marriage and began a role as a full-time working royal. The Duke and Duchess began to represent the Queen at many high-scale royal events, and rather than wear any of the larger Tiaras, which still belonged to Princess Alice, the Duchess preferred to wear the Diamond Necklace Tiara, most notably for the Seychelles Independence Celebrations in 1976, and a few weeks later for the Wedding Gala of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
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By the 1980s, the Duchess had gotten more comfortable with the larger Tiaras, and then began to wear the piece as a splendid necklace, often with the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara or the Iveagh Tiara, and also for less formal gala events. The necklace made a notable appearance in a series of portraits of the Duke and Duchess on their 17th Wedding Anniversary in 1989.
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Embed from Getty Images
In recent years, the Duchess of Gloucester has worn the diamond necklace at a variety of events, including the Prince of Wales’s 50th, 60th, and likely 70th Birthday Gala, State Banquets, Banquets at the Guildhall, and most recently, the American State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019. There is no doubt we will continue to see this magnificent heirloom for years to come!
Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara | Teck Turquoise Tiara | Cartier India Tiara | Iveagh Tiara | Diamond Necklace Tiara | Pearl and Emerald Suite | Emerald Necklace | Queen Mary’s 11-row Pearl Choker | Diamond Corsage Brooch | Emerald Necklace | The Duchess of Gloucester’s Tiaras
The Duchess of Gloucester has a really amazing collection of royal jewels inherited from her late mother-in-law. She probably has more tiaras that the queen of Belgium! In addition, she is such a lovely lady, always proper, doing her duty cheerfully and efficiently. Both she and her husband Prince Richard have been an invaluable support of the Queen for all these years. I wish her joy and continued health on her birthday!