BEQUEST FROM QUEEN MUM’S FRIEND
The Duchess of Cornwall selected the Greville tiara — on loan from the Queen — for Tuesday night’s Diplomatic Reception. She has worn this diamond tiara many times, including at a Commonwealth heads of Government dinner in Uganda, in 2007, and the Commonwealth heads of Government dinner in Sri Lanka in 2013.
The tiara, also referred to as the Boucheron tiara, features a honeycomb-pattern design. It was originally made by Boucheron jewellers for British society hostess Margaret Greville in 1921. When she died in 1942, Margaret left it to the Queen Mother who altered the tiara, increasing its height and adding a number of brilliantcut diamonds and a single marquise-cut stone.
The Queen Mother wore it at the Royal Opera house in 1986 for a performance called Fanfare For elizabeth, to celebrate the Queen’s 60th birthday.