The Duchess of Gloucester’s Gorgeous Pink Topaz Tiara

In March 2009, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were on hand for the traditional Guildhall banquet held during a state visit from President Calderon of Mexico and his wife, Margarita Zavala. They joined the Lord Mayor and Mayoress of London for the event.

For the dinner, Birgitte wore a lovely deep red velvet evening gown and the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order, as well as Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Family Order and her miniature medals. She decided on an interesting jewel pairing with the dress, wearing the pink topazes from her jewelry box with the red gown. I quite liked this combination—the translucency of the topazes contrasted nicely with the heavier red of the velvet.

The jewels in question have been worn by members of the family for three generations. The tiara, Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara, was passed down from Queen Mary to Birgitte’s mother-in-law, Princess Alice. In fact, all of the jewels worn here—the tiara, necklace, earrings, brooch, and bracelet—were worn by Alice during her tenure as Duchess of Gloucester. With the help of her mother-in-law, Alice assembled an interesting and timeless jewelry collection, and Birgitte has worn it well over the years, too.