Archives for September 2017

Scottish Diamonds at the Queensferry Crossing

09.05.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh ventured off the Balmoral estate again on Monday for the official opening of the Queensferry Crossing, and HM brought some appropriately Scottish diamonds with her.

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The new bridge crosses the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh; it’s the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world. The Queen greeted dignitaries and locals as well as workers who helped complete the project during Monday’s ceremonies.

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

She wore a large diamond brooch with an appropriately Scottish theme. This diamond thistle brooch, which belonged to Queen Mary, hasn’t been seen frequently in public.

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Here’s a second close-up view. We most recently saw the Queen wear the brooch in a 2010 portrait taken at her official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images

It’s always a treat to see a little-worn brooch brought out of the vaults, especially one that matches the occasion so well!

Jewel History: A Third Baby for the Duchess of Cambridge (1833)

09.05.2017 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck (Wikimedia Commons)

“A Third Baby for the Duchess of Cambridge”

(originally appeared in the Observer, 9 December 1833)

From the London Gazette of Friday, Dec. 6th — This Gazette states, that dispatches have been received from Thomas Cartwright, Esq., His Majesty’s [1] Minister Plenipotentiary to the Germanic Confederations, stating that Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge [2] was safely delivered, on November 27th, of a Princess [3].

Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge, Duchess of Teck (Grand Ladies Site)

Her Royal Highness and the infant were doing as well as could possibly be expected.

Dr. Kauffman, accoucheur; Dr. Stieglitz, physician; Mrs. Radecker, nurse; Mrs. Page, attendant upon Princess Augusta of Cambridge [4]; Mr. Cartwright and others, were present on the occasion.

The Duchess of Teck wears the Emperor of Austria Brooch

NOTES

1. King William IV of the United Kingdom (1765-1837) reigned as Britain’s monarch from 1830 until his death in 1837. He was the third son of King George III, and he succeeded his eldest brother, King George IV. Because he had no surviving legitimate children, he was succeeded by his niece, Queen Victoria, in 1837.

2. Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge (1797-1889), born Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, was the wife of King George III’s seventh son, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. Adolphus and Augusta already had two children, Prince George and Princess Augusta, when their third child was born in November 1833.

3. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge (1833-1897) was the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She was born in Hanover during the reign of her uncle, King William IV, but most of her life spanned the reign of her first cousin, Queen Victoria. Mary Adelaide married Prince Francis of Teck (later the Duke of Teck) in 1866 and had four children, including Queen Mary of the United Kingdom, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.

4. Princess Augusta of Cambridge (1822-1916) was the second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She was eleven at the time of her younger sister’s birth. In 1843, she married the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. She was the lucky inheritor of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was later copied by her niece, Queen Mary. (Here’s a handy guide to help you tell the difference between the two tiaras!)

KAY NIETFELD/AFP/Getty Images

With the news that the current Duchess of Cambridge is expecting her third child, should we offer up some name guesses? I’m expecting to see Prince Philip probably honored in some way…