The Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales dazzled on Tuesday evening as they attended their first state banquet in their new roles.
The royal leading ladies joined King Charles II, the Prince of Wales, Sophie Wessex and more than 160 guests for a white tie banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of visiting South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The evening marked King Charles’s first state banquet, and the first official state visit hosted by the UK since he became monarch.
Whilst Camilla paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by wearing Belgian Sapphire tiara and King George Victorian Suite, Kate paid tribute to both the late monarch and her late mother in law, Princess Diana with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara.
Fine jewellery and diamond experts at Steven Stone have revealed everything you need to know about the pieces – including their history and value.
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales
Wearing her first tiara as Princess of Wales, Kate’s choice saw her pay tribute to both Queen Elizabeth II and her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara.
Originally designed for Queen Mary back in 1913, the Lover’s Knot tiara was passed on to Queen Elizabeth II who presented it to Princess Diana for her royal wedding in 1981 – despite respectfully declining in favour of her father’s Spencer Family tiara, the tiara became one of her favourite pieces, although it’s claimed to have been so heavy that it hurt her head.
Kate has worn the tiara on many occasions, including in October 2018 when Queen Elizabeth loaned Kate Middleton the tiara to wear to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Packed with the finest quality diamonds and pearls, our experts estimate the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara to be worth £1,000,000.
Camilla, Queen Consort
Camilla paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by wearing her Belgian Sapphire Tiara – the tiara was refashioned from a 19th century necklace once owned by Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and perfectly matches the late monarchs King George VI Victorian Suite, which Camilla was also wearing.
Gifted to Queen Elizabeth II by her Father on her wedding day in 1947, the King George VI Victorian Suite was undoubtedly among the late monarchs most meaningful jewels.
The sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, sat on a gradient, ranging from 8 to 30cts, before Queen Elizabeth II redesigned it in 1952 – the late monarch removed four of the sapphire clusters from the back and re-modelled and reset one of larger stones from the front, to create a beautiful pendant for the necklace. Sometime during the ’60s, she also commissioned a matching bracelet to accompany the set.
Also featuring a pair of sapphire earrings that look to be 15ct, the King George VI Victorian Suite is likely to be worth £5,000,000.
Our experts estimate the Belgian Sapphire Tiara to be worth £5,000,000 – meaning that Camilla was wearing £10,000,000 worth of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels at the state banquet.
“The jewellery choices at King Charles II’s first royal banquet were magnificent and it’s particularly heartwarming to see both Kate and Camilla paying tribute to previous royal leading ladies through theirs.
Wearing her first tiara as the Princess of Wales, Kate paid tribute to both Queen Elizabeth II and her late mother in law, Princess Diana by wearing Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara – a historic piece that dates back to 1913. The fact that it’s so heavy it hurt Princess Diana’s head indicates that this is a valuable tiara, packed with the finest quality diamonds and pearls. If I had to put an estimated value on this, I would say it is worth around £1,000,000 – maybe even more thanks to the legacies of the ladies who’ve worn it.
For her first tiara as Queen Consort, Camilla chose Queen Elizabeth II’s Belgian Sapphire tiara – worth £5,000,000, the tiara is another historic piece and was refashioned from a 19th century necklace once owned by Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
The Queen Consort paid further tribute to the late monarch by pairing the tiara with Queen Elizabeth II’s King George VI Victoria Suite. Featuring some of the late monarch’s most meaningful jewels that were gifted to her by her Father, the suite consists of a sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace, a pair of sapphire earrings and a bracelet. The King George VI Victorian Suite is likely to be worth £5,000,000, meaning that Camilla was wearing a staggering £10,000,000 worth of Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels.”
maxwell stone, diamond expert, steven stone
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