Diamond Jubilee Jewels for the Aga Khan

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I’m back, everybody! Hooray! (I told a little secret on Twitter about the real purpose of my trip — you can find that over here!) While I was playing catch up, I knew we had to talk about this event: the dinner that Queen Elizabeth II held last week to mark the Diamond Jubilee of the Aga Khan.

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The Aga Khan is the leader (or imam) of the Nizaris, the largest denomination of the Ismailis, a branch of Shia Islam. Prince Karim has been Aga Khan IV since his grandfather’s death in 1957. The Queen knows him particularly well because he’s a British citizen who shares her passion for horse racing and breeding. He also shares a similar British aristocratic heritage. His maternal grandfather was the 3rd Baron Churston, and his mother, Joan Yarde-Buller, was a part of the “Bright Young Things” circle that also included the Queen’s parents.

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For the dinner, which was held on Thursday at Windsor Castle, the Queen wore a striking pink and gold evening gown with loads of diamonds. She chose one of my favorite pieces from her collection, the King Khalid Necklace, as the focal point of her accessories. She’s also wearing large diamond stud earrings.

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Here’s another view of the necklace and earrings.

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And here’s a view of her bracelet, watch, and diamond rings. I’ve had lots of questions about the specifics of these rings, but I don’t have much additional information. One of them, of course, is her diamond engagement ring; it’s worn beside her wedding band on the fourth finger of her left hand, as usual.

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The Duchess of Cornwall was also in attendance at the dinner; she wore her grand suite of jewels set with pear-shaped diamonds.

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Members of the Aga Khan’s family came to the dinner, too, although their jewels were not photographed particularly clearly. This is his daughter, Princess Zahra. She wore lovely gem-set pendant earrings and a matching necklace and bracelet set.

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And this is Princess Salwa, who is married to the Aga Khan’s eldest son, Prince Rahim. (Princess Salwa is an American; she was born Kendra Spears in Seattle.) She wore a fascinating pair of diamond and pearl earrings, pearls in her hair, and a diamond bracelet on her wrist.