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The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Archives for 2016

Camilla Dazzles in Diamonds

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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended a reception and dinner for the British Asian Trust at the National History Museum in London yesterday evening. For the occasion, Camilla wore the glamorous diamond demi-parure that has been in her collection since at least 2005.
The exact provenance of this set hasn’t been made public, but some have guessed that it was made using diamonds from a dismantled tiara.

Jewel History: February 3

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On this day in royal history…

February 3, 1866: The Illustrated London News publishes an image of the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) visiting the Crewe Steelworks

February 3, 1930: E.C. Butt, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Queen Nefertiti, poses with a plaster bust of the famous Egyptian queen

February 3, 1932: A bust of Kaiser Wilhelm II is carted away in Cologne, Germany

February 3, 1952: Three days before her father’s death, Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (later Queen Elizabeth II) visits a hospital named for her in Nairobi, Kenya

February 3, 1955: Queen Elizabeth II hosts the Commonwealth prime ministers, including Churchill and Nehru; she wears Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik with the Brazilian aquamarines

February 3, 1962: Infante Juan Carlos of Spain (later King Juan Carlos) poses with his fiance, Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark (later Queen Sofia) in London

February 3, 1964: The “Royal Stork Stakes” gives the public a chance to wager on the names of the babies expected by Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra, and the Duchess of Kent. (The babies were the Earl of Wessex, Lady Sarah Chatto, James Ogilvy, and Lady Helen Taylor)

February 3, 1965: Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (later Queen Beatrix) skis during a holiday in Gstaad

February 3, 1968: Princess Benedikte of Denmark marries Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg at Fredensborg Palace

February 3, 1971: Princess Alexandra and Earl Mountbatten board a plane at Heathrow in London

February 3, 1971: The novelist Barbara Cartland and her daughter, the Countess of Dartmouth (later Raine, Countess Spencer, stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales) attend a book launch party at the Dorchester Hotel

February 3, 1998: Stamps commemorating the life of the late Diana, Princess of Wales go on sale

February 3, 2005: Queen Paola of the Belgians arrives at the final ceremony during a state visit from President Stephanopoulos of Greece

February 3, 2006: The Duchess of Cornwall visits an art exhibition in Bath

February 3, 2007: Princess Anne presents the Calcutta Cup to Phil Vickery following England’s victory in the Six Nations championship match

February 3, 2009: Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh open the Carole Brown Health Centre

February 3, 2010: The Princess of Asturias (now Queen Letizia of Spain) attends the Principe Felipe a la Excelencia Empresarial Awards

February 3, 2011: Commemorative memorabilia is displayed in Stoke-on-Trent ahead of the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton (now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge)

February 3, 2013: Mourners remember the late former king of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, as he lay in state in Phnom Penh

February 3, 2015: Prince Harry of Wales visits the Full Effect Youth Project in Nottingham

New Dutch Royal Collection Website

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Love the glittering jewels of the Dutch royal family? You’re in luck — the Royal Collection launched a brand-new website yesterday that includes information about and high-res photos of some of their bejeweled treasures.

One of the most interesting objects in the online gallery is the delicate tortoiseshell fan from the Mellerio Ruby Parure, the set of jewels worn above by Queen Emma (and also above by Queen Maxima). The fan, made in 1888, is set with diamonds and rubies.

Another intriguing item in the online catalogue is a pair of bracelets made in 1822 for King Willem II and his wife, Anna Pavlovna. They were a gift to Queen Wilhelmina from Grand Duke Adolph Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin on the occasion of Queen Juliana’s christening in 1909. One features Willem’s name, and the other includes Anna’s — and both of them are made of gold, turquoise, and (in a common nineteenth-century practice) braided hair.

Happy exploring!