Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of King George VI, who passed away on this day in 1952! The second son who unexpectedly acceded to the throne after his brother’s Abdication, and became the popular Wartime King and the last Emperor of India, King George VI was behind the commission and acquisition of several royal jewels, including this spectacular Diamond Festoon Necklace!
Imperial State Crown | Cartier Halo Tiara | King George VI Festoon Necklace | King George VI Sapphire Suite | Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara | Lotus Flower Tiara
In 1950, King George VI had a diamond necklace from Garrard commissioned using 105 loose collet diamonds that were among the Heirlooms he inherited, which had previously been used by Queen Mary to change the lengths of her multiple diamond collet necklaces. The necklace is composed of three strands of graduated collet diamonds suspended between two diamond triangles, with a single strand of collet diamonds at the back.
Beth
While it is reported that the necklace was commissioned by the King for his elder daughter and heir, Princess Elizabeth, the piece seems to have been worn by his wife, Queen Elizabeth, for a Dinner during the French State Visit to Britain in 1950 (as found by the wonderful Beth).
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By the time of her accession in 1952, the Diamond Festoon Necklace had certainly passed into the collection of Queen Elizabeth II, who had ten of the diamonds removed in 1953. The Queen made her debut in the Diamond Festoon Necklace on the six-month Commonwealth Tour, at a Banquet in Fiji, for a Civic Dinner in Christchurch, at an Opening of Parliament in Melbourne and a Banquet in Canberra, as well as for the State Opening of Parliament on her Return to London.
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By the mid-1950s, the Diamond Festoon Necklace had become a favourite jewel of the Queen, usually worn with the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings, paired with the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara or Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara for the British State Visit to Portugal, the State Visit to Denmark, the State Visit to Paris, and the State Visit to the United States in 1957, as well as the State Visit to the Netherlands in 1958 and the French State Visit to Britain in 1960.
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The Diamond Festoon Necklace continued to be worn at home and abroad through the 1960s, for a visit to Pakistan and a tour of West Africa in 1961, the Norwegian State Visit to Scotland, the Gala Performance of ‘HMS Pinafore’ and Queen Juliana’s Silver Anniversary in 1962, as well as on a State Visit to Belgium in 1966 and for a State Visit to Austria in 1969.
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During the 1970s, the Queen continued to wear the Diamond Festoon Necklace for several prominent occasions like the Captain Cook Bicentenary Tour in 1970, the Afghan State Visit to Britain in 1971, the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 1972, the State Visit to Malaysia in 1972, the Danish State Visit to Britain in 1974, the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1975, the State Visit to Luxembourg in 1976, the British State Banquet at the White House in 1976, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Tours, and the State Visit to Qatar in 1979 though the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings had begun to be replaced by a pair of antique diamond girandole earrings.
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The Queen wore the Diamond Festoon Necklace for at least ten State Openings of Parliament, in 1954, 1958, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1987, 2002, 2007, and 2012, either with the Coronation Earrings, the antique Diamond Girandole Earrings, Queen Mary’s Floret Earrings, or her Antique Diamond Earrings.
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By the 1980s, after the Queen wore the Diamond Festoon Necklace for the State Visit to Morocco in 1980, the State Visit to Norway in 1981, the State Visit to Sweden in 1983, and the Spanish State Visit to Britain in 1986, appearances began to decline as the Queen preferred to wear more modern necklaces from her collection, though there were some sporadic appearances, like for the Malaysian State Visit to Britain in 1993.
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In the later years of her reign, the Queen notably wore the Diamond Festoon Necklace for the State Openings of Parliament in 2002, 2007, and 2012, as well as on her last State Visit to the United States, for the Aga Khan’s Golden Jubilee Dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2007, and most recently for the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 2018. Lets hope we see this splendid jewel reappear soon!
The Princess of Wales wore the Diamond Festoon Necklace for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Imperial State Crown | Cartier Halo Tiara | King George VI Festoon Necklace | King George VI Sapphire Suite | Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara | Lotus Flower Tiara
