A very novel way to wear emeralds

This eye-catching emerald choker was a gift from the Queen, one of several heirlooms bestowed on the Princess to mark her joining the Royal Family.

its story can be traced back to 1818, when Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, the seventh son of King George iii, married Princess Augusta of hesse-Kassel.

While the newlyweds were visiting Frankfurt, a lottery was being held in aid of charity. The Duchess bought a ticket and won a box of 40 emeralds.

The stones were turned into earrings, a necklace and a pair of ‘stomachers’, traditional pieces worn over the front of the bust, and were passed down through several generations of the extended Royal Family, with recipients often adapting them to reflect current fashions.

On the death of her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953, the necklace was left to Queen elizabeth ii, who rarely wore it, but took it out of storage to give to Diana.

The Princess wore it in 1981 and 1982, before having the 14-inch piece mounted on a band of dark-green velvet that autumn, so she could wear it as a headband at a private party during the Christmas holiday.

it was another three years before she dared to don the unconventional accessory in public: at a charity dance on a visit to Australia in October 1985, paired with a turquoise satin gown (left). As ever, she looked ravishing — but the look on Charles’s face suggests he wasn’t convinced . . .