Our survey of the Queen’s sparkling gala appearances over the decades continues today with a look at a ’90s tiara moment in Paris. The Queen sparkled in diamonds and rubies for a state dinner and a special museum visit.
President François Mitterrand of France and his wife, Danielle, hosted the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh for a state visit in June 1992. On the first night of the visit, the royal guests were feted with a state dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris. Here, the Queen sits between Prime Minister Pierre Bérégovoy and President Mitterrand at the dinner.
The evening also included a special tour of the Louvre Museum. Here, the Queen and President Mitterrand pose before the Louvre Pyramid, designed by I.M. Pei and completed in 1988.
Here’s a look at the Queen and the Duke touring one of the museum’s sculpture galleries with the Mitterrands. The entire visit must have been a welcome distraction for the royal couple. Back at home, the publication of Andrew Morton’s biography of the Princess of Wales was causing all sorts of havoc.
The Queen wore a white gown embellished with crystals for the dinner, paired with silver accessories. She wore the Royal Family Orders of her father and grandfather, but not the sash of the Legion d’Honneur, as decorations were not worn for the dinner. The Queen’s wardrobe for this trip didn’t exactly set the world on fire for the French press. Paris Match wrote that the Queen’s clothes were “inimitable and unimitated,” adding, “She is not interested in fashion, considering her clothes simply as uniforms to match functions.”
With the gown, the Queen wore diamonds and rubies. The Burmese Ruby Tiara, commissioned by her from Garrard in the 1970s, was the spotlight piece of the ensemble. She paired the tiara with the Qatari Rubies. The necklace and earrings were presented to her in 1985 by Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, who was then the Emir of Qatar.
She finished off the look with an evening watch and her diamond and ruby Art Deco bracelet. (We discussed that piece previously over here!)
We’re keeping the celebrations going with two extra Sparkling Spotlight posts this weekend! Be sure to stop by on Saturday and Sunday afternoons to continue our journey through the Queen’s dazzling decades…
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