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Royal Style: Elizabeth may be gone, but her diamonds are forever

992 replies

Maireas · 20/09/2022 21:36

Evening Royal style and beauty fans.
Into the Carolean era, with more bling we hope! Also more state banquets?

OP posts:
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Serenster · 21/09/2022 07:48

Thanks for the new thread, love the title!

I have read speculation that Charles is keen for his first state visit to be to France - a Republic, so perhaps no tiaras at a banquet, boo! But last time Kate went to France she did pitch up in a lovely Chanel suit, so if they all go, yay!

I also read that the little horseshoe brooch that Charlotte wore was originally Queen Mary’s, and the Queen Mother had also worn it. A lovely choice for her to wear.

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ALittleBitSkeksis · 21/09/2022 08:19

Maireas · 21/09/2022 07:05

I remember the first thread. We'd started commenting on the outfits at Harry and Meghan's wedding, and it developed from there.

I was on that one, have come and gone and had at least six name changes since then Smile

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NiqueNique · 21/09/2022 09:00

@frugalkitty yes I remembered that someone secured the sceptre around the time of the Jubilee but I couldn’t remember who!

Sarah also wore those diamond brooches as a tiara on her wedding day.

Royal Style: Elizabeth may be gone, but her diamonds are forever
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MotherofPearl · 21/09/2022 09:04

TracyBeakerSoYeah · 21/09/2022 01:13

@LINABE

If you mean the thread that started us all off
www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/3285879-royal-style-kate-meghan-bea-euj-maxima-mary-letizia-victoria

This was back in June 2018 & I think (if I counted correctly) we are on Thread 57 now.
Wow we've been going just over 4yrs!

Good grief! 4 years?! Times flies when you're chatting royal fashion and tiaras eh? Though lord knows we had some lean times during Covid.

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SingaporeSlinky · 21/09/2022 09:05

Yes I noticed that the Dean of Windsor didn’t wear gloves to handle the crown. I’m sure I heard the other day that only 3 people in the world are allowed to handle the Imperial Crown - the monarch, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Crown Jeweller. At Windsor, the Crown Jeweller took the crown, orb and sceptre off the coffin, handed to someone else (as you said, all wearing gloves), then the Dean didn’t have gloves.

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LINABE · 21/09/2022 09:05

TracyBeakerSoYeah · 21/09/2022 01:13

@LINABE

If you mean the thread that started us all off
www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/3285879-royal-style-kate-meghan-bea-euj-maxima-mary-letizia-victoria

This was back in June 2018 & I think (if I counted correctly) we are on Thread 57 now.
Wow we've been going just over 4yrs!

Thank you so much Tracy!

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SingaporeSlinky · 21/09/2022 09:14

I was browsing TK Maxx online earlier and found a book called Royal Rubies with a photo of CPM on the front. I thought ooh, a book about royal jewels, but it really is just the Danish rubies. Not sure how they’ve filled a whole book, but I’m sure someone will love it.

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eggandonion · 21/09/2022 09:16

Has anyone any news on the Duchess of Kent, who I have always admired? Her daughter, as we say where I live, has the head off her!
My late dad loved Princess Alexandra.
I hope Charles doesn't slim the monarchy down too much, I like the extras.

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NiqueNique · 21/09/2022 09:19

SingaporeSlinky · 21/09/2022 09:14

I was browsing TK Maxx online earlier and found a book called Royal Rubies with a photo of CPM on the front. I thought ooh, a book about royal jewels, but it really is just the Danish rubies. Not sure how they’ve filled a whole book, but I’m sure someone will love it.

Do we think that this might be self-published by CPM? Perhaps to mark a certain big day? Grin

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CaveMum · 21/09/2022 09:21

There’s a great bit in the BBC documentary where HM is sat with the Imperial State Crown on a table in front of her (filmed in 2017 I think) while she talks about it and the man who is talking to her about it (think it’s one of the Crown Jewellers) says “Can the Crown be moved a bit closer to Her Majesty, please.” and as a pair of white-gloved hands appear in shot she just leans over, grabs it and picks it up herself! You can tell from the look on her face she’s thinking “It’s my bloody Crown, I’ll do it myself!”

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KillingMeDeftly · 21/09/2022 09:24

I'm a jeweller

Big mistake telling us that @Anonmousse, our questions will be endless!

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CaveMum · 21/09/2022 09:24

There’s also a fascinating bit about the original Crown Jewels and how they were broken up and sold off after the Civil War, though they managed to recover a few bits and pieces after the Restoration.

It’s mind-blowing how old some of the jewels are, they don’t have definitive proof but they think that the blue sapphire set in the cross on top of the Imperial State Crown originally belonged to Edward the Confessor, so has been part of the Royal collection for pretty much 1,000 years!

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NiqueNique · 21/09/2022 09:25

I expect that the Dean of Windsor, in acting as God’s representative in the ceremony, is not required to wear gloves. Don’t know the ins and outs of it but that’s the most likely explanation. Rather like pp said above about the 3 people in the world who are allowed to handle it, one being the ArchBishop of Canterbury.

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Spudlet · 21/09/2022 09:55

Checking in!

I have a confession to make… I’m kind of obsessed with Kate’s eyebrows 😳 They are so perfectly shaped and groomed. I have blonde eyebrows, even if I had makeup artists on standby at all times I don’t think I could get that level of definition.

I am slightly embarrassed by this 😳😂

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NiqueNique · 21/09/2022 10:03

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon I found some information on the Boucheron Loop Tiara here:

Boucheron Loop Tiara

It was dismantled by Garrard to create the

Delhi Durbar Tiara

which Camilla wore almost 60 years after its last appearance, as pictured.

In further development (as we’re so used to from Queen Mary), the above tiara was originally set with 10 emeralds on top. However these were removed and now reside in my newly acquired

Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara


As an aside, @Maireas i wondered if the Delhi Durbar emerald necklace has been claimed? If not please could I have it as it would go so nicely with the Vladimir tiara. I want to do HMQ justice this week as I remember her. 👑

Royal Style: Elizabeth may be gone, but her diamonds are forever
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smilesy · 21/09/2022 10:20

Slightly off topic but I was reading this morning that it was thought that the Coronation might indeed be a smaller affair due to the current economic climate. I hope that just means less people but not less bling. There was another thread discussing this, and it was generally hoped that all the good and jewels would still be brought out, since they are already there as it were. I suppose this is one are of the monarchy that is really sustainable. All the jewels and even the uniforms can be re used endlessly.

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smilesy · 21/09/2022 10:20

All the gold and jewels*

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meateatingveggie · 21/09/2022 10:28

I wonder how many jewels are in the Royal vaults than haven't been seen for many years, many of which we may not even be able to find pictures of.

The article @NiqueNique shared refers to Queen Mary's collars.. now wouldn't it be amazing if one of those appeared at the next State banquet. I can see Camilla in one, and maybe even Catherine.

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NiqueNique · 21/09/2022 10:39

Yes @meateatingveggie i was just thinking it would be great to see some of those all-but-forgotten pieces and enjoy as many historic but less known pieces as possible.

A coronation, for example, might be an important enough occasion that one or two of the most senior royal women could perhaps bring out some of those fabulous pieces. It’s not really been the fashion for such a long time and even royal lifestyle doesn’t lend itself anymore to their being worn, so I suppose that’s why we’ve not seen them. But wouldn’t it be wonderful?

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StartupRepair · 21/09/2022 10:44

Noone seems to wear stomachers any more! Perhaps Kate will dust some off.

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KillingMeDeftly · 21/09/2022 10:47

I suspect the biggest cost of the coronation will be the security! The jewels they already have so they may as well bring out the biggest and brightest of them.

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Pinotpleasure · 21/09/2022 10:54

@Serenster - yes indeed the little horseshoe brooch worn by Princess Charlotte at the funeral was a gift to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother from Queen Mary. It was worn in the 1920s.

I’m useless at linking images, but there are some lovely photos of Princess Charlotte and QE2 The QM wearing the brooch on the Instagram account “Historyfamousjewels”

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AdaColeman · 21/09/2022 12:34

Max sometimes wears Queen Emma's spectacular diamond stomacher as a brooch high on her shoulder. Perhaps Camilla will delve into the dusty vaults and bring out some of Queen Mary's vintage pieces, and give them a new life.

I noticed while reading the newspaper headlines on the BBC, that The Sun is predicting a May or June coronation, they must have read it here first! Wink Wink

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Spudlet · 21/09/2022 13:29

Elizabeth Holmes on instagram has a post about the final official picture of the Queen:

www.instagram.com/p/CiqnMM-PfXV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

She says it is a picture of her as she wanted to be seen as opposed to the final chronological picture where she suddenly
looked so frail. I think that’s a very good point - the pearls and the hair and the brooch are all much closer to the Queen we saw all the time.

It’s a lovely picture. Although the one I like best is the one of her walking over the moors - a woman in her element.

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667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast · 21/09/2022 13:30

StartupRepair · 21/09/2022 10:44

Noone seems to wear stomachers any more! Perhaps Kate will dust some off.

I’m not up on jewellery terms what’s a stomacher ? I’m very into medieval and Tudor history and period clothing and the only time I’ve come across this word is an Elizabethan corset!

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