Today marks the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh, who was born on this day in 1776! The daughter of King George III, the Duchess of Gloucester had a spectacular jewellery collection, with several prominent heirlooms being passed down to the late Queen, which included the Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Pendant Earrings!
Composed of an elaborate diamond scroll frames from which large pear-shaped pearls are suspended, the earrings originally included another element, which has been detached and is now worn separately. The pear-shaped pearls can also be worn separately, as can just the diamond frames. These splendid jewels originate from the collection of Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, the daughter of King George III and Queen Charlotte, who left them to her niece, Princess Mary Adelaide, the Duchess of Teck, on her death in 1857.
Princess Mary Adelaide began wearing the earrings soon after, pairing them with the the Teck Crescent Tiara for the Wedding of Victoria, Princess Royal and Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia in 1858.
The Duchess of Teck was always being portrayed or pictured in a configuration of the pearl stud and pendant, without the diamond frames, pairing them with the Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara, the Teck Crescent Tiara, and the Teck Diamond Hoop Necklace.
After her death in 1897, the Pearl Pendant Earrings were among the jewels inherited by the Duchess of Teck’s only daughter, Queen Mary, who often wore the top portion separately but was not pictured wearing the diamond frames nor pearl pendants.
In 1947, Queen Mary gave the top portion, known as the ‘Duchess of Teck’s Pearl Earrings’ as to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth, a few months she married Prince Phillip of Greece, which were worn on her wedding day and for many special occasions throughout her long life.
The Queen eventually inherited the Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Earrings upon Queen Mary’s death in 1953, and they were often worn with the Vladimir Tiara and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace, one of the most classic pairings of the Queen’s reign, notably worn for the State Visit to Denmark in 1957, the State Visit to the United States, the State Visit to the Netherlands in 1958, a Dinner with King Olav of Norway in 1959, the French State Visit in 1960, the Thai State Visit in 1960, a Royal Film Premiere in 1961, a Gala Performance at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool in 1961, a Gala Performance in 1963, the State Visit to Germany, 1965, and the Italian State Visit in 1969.
The Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Pendant Earrings were worn not only with the Vladimir Tiara, but also with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara with more appearances during the Captain Cook Bicentenary Tour in 1970, the Japanese State Banquet at Buckingham Palace in 1971, the State Visit to Thailand, State Visit to Singapore, State Visit to Malaysia, Opening of Parliament in Mauritius, the Dutch State Visit, the Luxembourg State Visit in 1972, the Fanfare for Europe Gala in 1973, the Danish State Visit in 1974, the State Visit to Japan in 1975, the State Visit to Luxembourg in 1976, the Banquet at British Embassy in Washington in 1976, the Summit Dinner at Buckingham Palace in 1977, the Tour of the Gulf States in 1979, the State Visit to Morocco in 1980, the State Visit to Norway in 1981, the Oman State Visit in 1982, the Dutch State Visit in 1982, the visit to California in 1983, State Visit to Nepal in 1986, and the Queen’s 60th Birthday Gala Dinner at Claridge’s Hotel in 1986.
The Queen also once wore the diamond frame of the Pendant Earrings without the pearl pendant for the Royal Variety Performance in 2003.
However, by the 1990s, the Queen began wearing smaller, less heavier earrings with the Vladimir Tiara, and thus appearances of the Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Earrings began to decline, with notable sightings at a few State Openings of Parliament and for the Norwegian Royal Visit to Britain in 2005. The splendid Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Pendant Earrings have not been publicly worn in almost two decades, but lets hope they make an appearance on another member of the Royal Family, particularly the Princess of Wales, sometime soon!
Currently, the Duchess of Gloucester’s Pearl Pendant Earrings are on display alongside Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace in the ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ Exhibition in the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
