The tiaras have arrived in St. George’s Hall for tonight’s state banquet at Windsor Castle, given in honor of the visiting Sultan of Oman. Most of the jewelry will be very familiar, but there’s an intriguing necklace on display…
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived for the banquet with Haitham bin Tariq, the Sultan of Oman, on Tuesday evening in Windsor. All three wore orders and decorations for the white-tie event. Though the Sultan reportedly received the Garter from King Charles earlier today, he wore the sash and star of the Order of the Bath for the banquet. Other monarchs have worn the Garter insignia before their installation, but the Sultan appears to have chosen not to do so.
King Charles wore the sash and star of Oman’s Order of Al Said, which he received earlier in the day. Queen Camilla wore a royal blue evening gown with the King’s Royal Family Order. She also received a decoration from the Sultan earlier on Tuesday: the sash and star of the Order of Oman.
Queen Camilla’s jewelry for the evening included a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar pieces. Her tiara, the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara, was a wedding gift presented to Queen Mary in 1893. Later, it became the favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla’s earrings have an even longer royal history. They’re the amethyst and diamond earrings that belonged to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent.
The necklace, on the other hand, is a piece that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. The piece features swags of small pearls stretching between diamond and amethyst clusters. Here’s hoping we get more information from the palace about the necklace soon.
Camilla completed the look with two bracelets that have been in the family for three generations. She wore two of the Queen Mother’s Art Deco Bracelets. On her left wrist is one of the two all-diamond bracelets from the set, and on her right is the suite’s sapphire and diamond bracelet. The set includes a total of five, which can also be worn together as a bandeau on a tiara frame.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were also on hand for the banquet. William wore the Garter sash and star with his Windsor uniform, while Catherine paired a butter-yellow Elie Saab dress with the sash and star of the Royal Victorian Order and the King’s Royal Family Order.
Kate chose some of her favorite gala jewelry pieces for the banquet. She wore Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which has been her go-to tiara for many years, with the Greville Chandelier Earrings. Both belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Catherine secured her order sash with a small diamond brooch from her personal collection. She also wore her engagement and wedding ring stack, plus the diamond bracelet once worn as a choker necklace by Queen Mary.
The other members of the family on hand for the banquet were the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Princess Anne wore a golden gown with fascinating embellishments at the sleeves and neckline with the Garter sash and star and the Royal Family Orders of her mother and brother.
She accessorized with Princess Andrew’s Meander Bandeau, a tiara that most famously belonged to her paternal grandmother. She also wore a modern pearl and diamond necklace and matching earrings, all of which have been in her personal collection for some time. She also used a gold flower brooch to secure her sash.
The always-elegant Duchess of Gloucester wore one of her favorite cream-colored evening gowns with the Garter sash and star and the Royal Family Orders of King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II.
Her jewels for the evening included Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara with its pink topaz centerpiece, plus the coordinating pink topaz necklace and bracelet. She wore more diamond bracelets on her left wrist, and she added three of her diamond flower brooches to the dress as “buttons.”
I’ll be bringing more sparkle your way tomorrow with my free Wednesday edition of Hidden Gems, where we’ll be talking about three fabulous, famous necklaces. (Hint: this one could soon be yours, if your pockets are deep enough!) Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it, and don’t hesitate to stop by and join the comment section. Substack has recently allowed me to open the comment section of free posts to both free and paid subscribers. Come on over and chime in!
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