Diamonds, Sapphires, and Pearls for the British Royals at the Nigerian State Banquet

A quartet of fabulous royal tiaras were out tonight at Windsor Castle as the British royals hosted a state banquet for the President and First Lady of Nigeria.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted a state banquet on Wednesday evening for their guests, President and Mrs. Tinubu of Nigeria, at Windsor Castle. The occasion was a unique one. For the first time in almost a century, the British monarch hosted a state banquet for a Muslim head of state during Ramadan. The iftar banquet was reportedly the first since King George V welcomed the King of Afghanistan to Britain in 1928.

Queen Camilla went with a tried-and-true gala ensemble for the banquet, pairing a favorite white gown with the sash and star of the Order of the Garter and the King’s Royal Family Order. She also wore several familiar pieces of jewelry, including the late Queen’s Belgian Sapphire Tiara, a pair of Cartier bracelets from the Queen Mother’s collection, and a diamond serpent necklace that belonged to her own grandmother, Sonia Keppel Cubitt.

The most intriguing parts of Camilla’s ensemble, without a doubt, were her sapphire and diamond earrings. These appear to be the earrings from the George VI Sapphire Parure. Queen Camilla’s ears are famously not pierced, and these earrings are made for pierced ears. Could they have been converted to clips for her use?

Here’s a look at the late Queen wearing the earrings with their coordinating necklace and bracelet. The occasion was the famous dinner she hosted for President and Mrs. Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in June 1961. Elizabeth particularly treasured this suite of Victorian-era jewelry, which was a wedding present from her father.

Sapphires were also part of the jewelry equation for the Princess of Wales at tonight’s banquet. She wore a dramatic green evening gown from the designer Andrew Gn, paired with the sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order and the King’s Royal Family Order.

Catherine echoed the blue shade of her order sash by wearing the gorgeous sapphire and diamond fringe earrings from the Queen Mother’s jewelry collection. She also wore another treasured royal heirloom: Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was commissioned by Mary herself in 1913. The jewel was later worn by Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Sunday was Mother’s Day in Britain—perhaps Kate’s tiara choice was a gentle gesture of remembrance for William’s mother and grandmother? (Catherine also wore Diana’s earrings for this morning’s welcome ceremony.)

The Princess Royal, who attended with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, proved once again that she is truly the Queen of Fashion Recycling when she arrived for the banquet wearing a long evening coat that has been in her collection for almost sixty years.

Here’s a photograph of 18-year-old Anne wearing the coat and its matching dress for a film premiere in the spring of 1969. She wore the dress particularly often in her first years as a working royal, including a memorable outing in Vienna a few weeks earlier. The coat of the collar has since been altered, transforming it from a fashionable ’60s neckline to a more traditional collar.

On Wednesday, Anne paired the ensemble with her Garter insignia, the Royal Family Orders of her mother and brother, and a range of heirloom jewels. Her tiara, a diamond bandeau with a meander pattern, belonged to her grandmother, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark, while her diamond and pearl choker necklace comes from Queen Mary’s collection. Her diamond earrings were part of her 18th birthday gift from her parents, and her diamond ribbon brooch was a wedding gift from Charles in 1973.

The royal party was rounded out by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Birgitte was elegant in navy blue for the banquet, and her chic jacket was a perfect background for her Garter sash and star and the Royal Family Orders of Elizabeth II and Charles III.

As always, the Duchess dipped into her enviable jewelry collection for a selection of pieces. She wore one of my personal favorite royal jewels, Queen Mary’s Iveagh Tiara, with pearl drop earrings and diamond clips that come from one of her mother-in-law’s tiaras. She also stacked several diamond bracelets and necklaces, with her antique diamond and pearl fringe providing particular interest.

Note that this article will take the place of our usual Thursday post here at The Court Jeweller. See you on Friday for another new article!