Many were expecting Queen Camilla to select a new tiara for the State Banquet in Germany, to symbolise her new status as Queen; however, King Charles’ wife opted for a piece we saw her wear on numerous occasions during her tenure as Duchess of Cornwall.
The Greville Tiara, as it is referred to in Royal circles, was created in 1921 for Margaret Greville by jeweler Lucien Hirtz, who worked for Boucheron (hence the piece also being known as the Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara).
The diadem was created by dismantling an old piece that belonged to Mrs Greville; though unclear, most historians convene on the idea that it was a tiara that she had made for the coronation of King Edward VII.
Once Mrs Greville passed away in 1942 and her estate went through probate in 1943, it was discovered that in her will she had left most of her jewellery pieces to Queen Elizabeth (who would later become the Queen Mother).
The tiara that has become so associated now with Queen Camilla was not in the form we see today. It was a much more solid design, with a flat top and a kokoshnik feel to it.
After leaving it in the trunk for a few years due to the hardships of war, Queen Elizabeth took it out and wore it in its original form for a couple of years, before sending it to jeweller Cartier to be slightly modified.
Cartier disassembled the top of the tiara, leaving alternate openings, which were then topped with round diamonds, two bigger in the centre and four smaller in diagonals of two on each side of the centre two diamonds.
For the central element, it is composed by three larger round diamonds in a concave semicircle topped by a marquise diamond on top. The two side round diamonds are supported by two smaller round diamonds, one on each side.
And with this modification done, it became one of the Queen Mother’s most worn pieces, to the point where it became one of only two tiaras worn in her later years. This can be explained by the fact that, although tall and fairly sparkly, the honeycomb pattern makes it pretty lightweight.
Once the Queen Mother passed away in 2002, her entire jewellery collection reverted back to her daughter Queen Elizabeth II, who actually never wore the Greville tiara. But when the then-Prince of Wales got married a second time, in 2005, Queen Elizabeth II decided to loan the piece to her new daughter in law, Camilla, who debuted the piece for a State Banquet for the Brazilian President in 2006.
Since then, although she has worn other tiaras occasionally, the Greville Tiara has definitely been her favourite, most likely for the same reasons that made it a favourite of the Queen Mother.
Like Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother before her, she sometimes pairs the tiara with other pieces from the Greville collection, most impressive of which is the five-strand diamond necklace.
It is worth noting, too, that the German State Banquet was held on March 29th 2023, on the eve of the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who passed away on March 30th 2002.
In conclusion, her choice might not have been a novelty, but the tiara Queen Camilla chose for her first State Banquet abroad as Queen is still a piece that has both a long history and a strong sentimental value.
