Princess Diana’s Shimmering State Banquet Tiara

The Prince and Princess of Wales, pictured here, were part of a large royal party who attended a special dinner during the Dutch state visit in November 1982. The return dinner, held on the final evening of the visit and hosted by Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus, was held at Hampton Court Palace. Queen Beatrix had opted for the historic palace as the venue over the Dutch embassy, mostly because she was concerned that the embassy was too small for the occasion.

For the dinner, Diana wore a romantic white evening gown. The Queen’s royal family order, with its distinctive yellow silk ribbon, was pinned at her shoulder. She also wore a new honor: the Order of the Crown, bestowed on her by Queen Beatrix during this visit. (It was one of Diana’s only foreign decorations.) She wore the orange sash of the order across her gown, with the star pinned to the sash.

As a sidenote: that’s the Duchess of Gloucester in the background, wearing Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara with coordinating diamond and pink topaz pieces.

She also wore several pieces of important pearl and diamond jewelry, all on loan from the Queen: Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings, and the Japanese Pearl Choker Necklace. All of these jewels, interestingly, are now worn by Diana’s daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge.

She secured her order sash with an impressive piece of personal jewelry. The large diamond and sapphire cluster brooch was Diana’s wedding gift from the Queen Mother. Later, she had it adjusted so that it could also be worn as the clasp on a pearl choker necklace. The sapphire cluster has not been seen in public since Diana’s death. As the Duchess of Cambridge has inherited the use of so many of Diana’s spectacular sapphires, I’m very much hoping that we’ll eventually see Kate wear this iconic piece as well.