The Princess of Wales has become the second senior royal in less than 24 hours to appears in dazzling diamonds that once belonged to one of the most famous names in London society.
For her visit to the Royal Variety Performance, Kate chose a pair of earrings that were left to the Royal Family by Margaret Greville, the society legend who also first owned the tiara that Queen Camilla wore just hours before to the Diplomatic Reception.
The two pieces that have done all the dazzling in the past few days are part of the Greville collection which was left to Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother by Margaret Greville.
Mrs Greville had no descendants of her own to pass on her substantial jewellery collection to. She was also worried that the royals might be a little light on serious gems and so decided the best thing to do was to bequeath the then Queen Consort all her diamonds, emeralds and rubies.
It also meant that her impressive gem collection became part of the royal jewellery box – and that we’re all still talking about Mrs. Greville decades after her death.
The earrings chosen by Kate are well worth a conversation. They are chandelier style and feature a huge range of cuts of diamonds including baguette, square and trapeze cut. No prizes for guessing that these earrings are by Cartier – they bear all the hallmarks of the classic designs from the jewellery house.
The result is a shimmering wall of sparkle that didn’t stay with the Queen Mother for long. She gave the earrings to her elder daughter, Elizabeth, on her wedding day which makes Kate’s pick even more special. For the Princess of Wales wore them on the eve of the 78th anniversary of the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II to Prince Philip.
It’s not known whether Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, gave the earrings to her daughter just before her big day so it could be that they were worn on the exact anniversary of them coming into the possession of the late Queen.
The Princess of Wales has worn them for several years and most recently used them at the State Banquet for the President of France at Windsor Castle in July.
Mrs Greville has been quite the star this past week as Queen Camilla chose to wear one of the most unusual pieces left by her to the Royal Family.
The diadem also caused some discussion as it has only ever been seen in public before being worn by Princess Eugenie on her wedding day.
The piece features diamonds and emeralds in a kokoshnik style – a design made popular at the court of the Tsars in the 19th century and based on traditional headdresses in rural Russia.
The Queen wore the diadem with an all diamond necklace shaped as a serpent that she inherited from one of her grandmothers, most likely Sonia Keppel.
However, it is Margaret Greville who is getting all the royal headlines this week as her legacy continues to sparkle over 80 years after her death.
