![Camilla in the Queen's Sapphires, Kate in the Royal Emeralds](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1229-camillakate.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II brought about a period of somber, significant reflection in the United Kingdom. The months following, however, have also led to the dawn of a new era for the family—and some jewelry surprises from the two most senior Windsor women.
![Camilla, Queen Consort during the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 22, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-1122-02-banquet01.jpg?resize=1200%2C1739&ssl=1)
In November, the King and the Queen Consort hosted the first state banquet of his reign (and the first state banquet held in Britain in more than three years!). Many wondered whether Queen Camilla would wear one of the late Queen’s tiaras for the first time, and their hopes were confirmed when she arrived at Buckingham Palace for the dinner. Camilla selected Queen Elizabeth II’s Sapphires: the set of antique jewels given to Elizabeth by her father as a wedding present, plus the tiara that Elizabeth herself purchased to coordinate with the suite.
![Catherine, Princess of Wales during the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 22, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-1122-02-banquet10.jpg?resize=1200%2C1614&ssl=1)
The banquet also offered the new Princess of Wales a chance to dress for her new elevated role as well. She wore Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, a loan from the late Queen, with Diana’s horseshoe and laurel earrings, her newly-acquired Art Deco Diamond Brooch, and the late Queen’s Four-Row Pearl Bracelet.
![Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Forfar during the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 22, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-1122-02-banquet12.jpg?resize=1200%2C1776&ssl=1)
The Countess of Wessex wore jewels for the state banquet fitting her role as one of the most important family representatives, too: her own convertible aquamarine and diamond tiara, plus earrings and a necklace that belonged to the late Queen.
![President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa (C-L), pauses for a photograph with the Duchess of Gloucester (L); Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas Lyons (C); Lady Mayoress Felicity Lyons (C-R) and the Duke of Gloucester (R), as he arrives for a banquet at The Guildhall on November 23, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-1123-02-guildhall06.jpg?resize=1084%2C1440&ssl=1)
The Duchess of Gloucester continued her representative role at the Guildhall banquet the following evening, wearing Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara with emeralds—all an inheritance from her mother-in-law, Princess Alice.
![Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend the Earthshot Prize 2022 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on December 02, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1203-01-kate05.jpg?resize=1200%2C1930&ssl=1)
But where emeralds are concerned, how could there be a greater surprise than the reappearance of Queen Mary’s Emerald Choker? Catherine wore the century-old necklace for the first time at the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Boston in December. Until Kate’s first outing in the piece, we had not seen anyone wear the choker for 25 years—not since July 1997, when Diana, Princess of Wales wore it in public for the final time.
![Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, (L) and his wife Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, pose with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (C) at the Corinthia Hotel in London on November 22, 2022, at the start of the president's two-day state visit](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-1122-01-statevisit14.jpg?resize=1200%2C1735&ssl=1)
It was the second emerald surprise brought to us by the new Princess of Wales this autumn. She glittered in Queen Alexandra’s Three Feathers Brooch, which dates to 1863, for the welcome ceremonies during the South African state visit in November.
![The Queen Consort during a Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Tuesday December 6, 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1206-02-diplomatic06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1617&ssl=1)
We had one final tiara treat from Britain this year when King Charles III hosted the annual diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in December. Queen Camilla again wore Queen Elizabeth II’s Sapphires, this time adding the pendant to the necklace.
![The Princess of Wales during a Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Tuesday December 6, 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-1206-02-diplomatic08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1823&ssl=1)
Kate brought out a tiara for the diplomatic reception we hadn’t seen in some time: the Lotus Flower Tiara, a legacy from the Queen Mother, which she hadn’t worn in public since 2015. She paired it with the late Queen’s Diamond Frame Earrings and her Diamond Art Deco Brooch.
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