Happy Birthday to Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 96 today! The oldest and longest reigning British Monarch has one of, if not the, largest jewellery collections, but today’s piece is one that has been in her jewellery box for 75 years, and if one of the few major jewels from that era which we had not yet featured: The City of London Fringe Necklace!
The British Royal Tiaras | British Royal Orders | British Royal Jewels | The Cullinan Diamond | City of London Fringe Necklace
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Made in the 19th century of diamonds, set in gold and silver, and threaded on silk, extending all the way around the neck, this splendid Diamond Fringe Necklace was a gift from the City of London to Princess Elizabeth, when she married Prince Phillip of Greece in 1947, and was displayed with the other wedding gifts at St James’ Palace in the days leading up to the wedding.
Worn #onthisday in 1948 by Princess Elizabeth and Vicountess Greenwood to the first postwar Pilgrim’s Society gala at @TheSavoyLondon. Lady Gladwyn joked that the guests wore formalwear "for the first time since 1939. . . . A bit tight, but nevertheless the genuine article.” #OTD pic.twitter.com/98p73dOjol
— Worn On This Day (@WornOnThisDay) April 12, 2022
Worn #onthisday in 1948 by Princess Elizabeth and Vicountess Greenwood to the first postwar Pilgrim’s Society gala at @TheSavoyLondon. Lady Gladwyn joked that the guests wore formalwear "for the first time since 1939. . . . A bit tight, but nevertheless the genuine article.” #OTD pic.twitter.com/98p73dOjol
— Worn On This Day (@WornOnThisDay) April 12, 2022Embed from Getty Images
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Princess Elizabeth wore the City of London Fringe Necklace quite a lot in the years the wedding, pairing it with the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara, for a plethora of events including a Gala Performance at Covent Garden in 1950, the Norwegian State Visit to Britain in 1951, a Gala in Winnipeg, and for a Speech in Newfoundland in 1951.
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Soon after becoming Queen, the City of London Fringe Necklace was paired with the George IV State Diadem and Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher, for a series of portraits, when she also wore the Crown.
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In the years after her accession, the Queen wore the City of London Fringe Necklace for a number of occasions during the visit to Australia in 1954, including for an Opening of Parliament. One of the last appearences of the necklace for decades came in 1955, for a Gala Performance of Smetana’s Opera The Bartered Bride at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, during the Portuguese State Visit to Britain.
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The City of London Fringe Necklace made its reappearance in 2001, when it was paired with Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara for the British State Visit to Norway, as well as for the Royal Visit to Jamaica in 2002. The last appearance of the necklace came in 2012, when it was worn with Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara for the Official New Zealand Diamond Jubilee Portrait. Lets hope this splendid necklace makes an appearence soon!
UPDATE: In 2023, Queen Camilla wore the Queen’s City of London Fringe Necklace with the Greville Tiara for the State Banquet at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin, during the State Visit to Germany!
The British Royal Tiaras | British Royal Orders | British Royal Jewels | The Cullinan Diamond | City of London Fringe Necklace
