Princess Anne’s Luxembourg State Visit Tiara

In June 1972, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte of Luxembourg made a state visit to the United Kingdom. It was the first official state visit by a reigning grand duke to Britain, though Grand Duke Jean was particularly familiar with the country, having been educated at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire and having served with the Irish Guards during World War II.

The royal family hosted the Luxembourgish grand ducal couple for the visit in the wake of the death of the Duke of Windsor. His funeral was held a week earlier at Windsor. Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte had sent flowers to the funeral to express their condolences ahead of their arrival in Britain the following week.

The first two days of the visit included the traditional rounds of banquets, dinners, and receptions in London. On June 14, 1972, the second evening of the visit, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess hosted a dinner for the royals at Claridge’s in London. Princess Anne wore a gown with a lace overlay for the dinner, with the sash and star of the Order of the Oak Crown. Anne received the Luxembourgish order from Grand Duke Jean during this visit. She also wore her mother’s Royal Family Order.

She finished off the look with diamonds—and lots of them. She wore the Cartier Halo Tiara, a loan from her mother. The tiara was originally to her grandmother, the Queen Mother, by her grandfather, King George VI, in the 1930s. It was subsequently worn by Princess Margaret, and most recently, it’s been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. She secured the sash of her order with her diamond star brooch. She also wore the earrings and necklace from her diamond festoon suite, which was her 18th birthday gift from her parents, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

And for fun, here’s a look at some of the other royal jewels worn for the dinner. The Queen wore the pearl setting of the Vladimir Tiara with the Gloucester Pendant Earrings, Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace, and the Dorset Bow Brooch. She wore the Royal Family Orders of her grandfather, King George V, and her father, King George VI, pinned to her left shoulder. Both she and the Duke of Edinburgh wore the insignia of Luxembourg’s Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (awarded to both of them during this visit), while Grand Duke Jean wore the insignia of the Order of the Garter (also awarded during this visit).

Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara, the necklace setting of the Emerald Peacock Tiara, Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings, and Princess Ingeborg’s Emerald Brooch. Because she did not have a British order, she wore the insignia of her highest Luxembourgish order, the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau.