Glittering Royal Jewels from the Queen Mother’s Birthday Gala

On July 19, 1990, a few weeks before the Queen Mother officially turned 90, a grand birthday celebration gala was given in her honor at the London Palladium.

The gala featured performances from some of Britain’s most recognizable entertainers, many of whom met with the Queen Mother and the royal party at the end of the show.

Here, the Queen Mum meets with James Bond, Alfie, and Dr. John Hammond—Sir Roger Moore, Sir Michael Caine, and Sir Richard Attenborough.

And here, she greets three of the evening’s musical performers: Dame Vera Lynn, Sir James Galway, and Sir Cliff Richard.

For the gala evening, the Queen Mum wore one of her favorite evening gowns from this era: a pale green dress with a metallic gold pattern. She accessorized with important royal jewelry from several different eras.

Her tiara and earrings, the Greville Tiara and the Greville Peardrop Earrings, both come from the Greville Bequest, left to her in 1942 by a close friend, Dame Margaret Greville.

With the tiara and earrings, she wore two pieces of antique jewelry: Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace, passed along to her by Queen Mary, and the Duchess of Teck’s Flower Brooch, a wedding gift from her husband that belonged to Queen Mary’s mother, the Duchess of Teck. She finished off the look with a lovely diamond and emerald bracelet.

The Queen Mum was joined in the royal box by her two daughters, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, and her son-in-law, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen sparkled in diamonds for the gala, wearing the Antique Girandole Earrings with the King Khalid Diamond Necklace.

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Princess Margaret wore a vivid turquoise evening gown with pieces from the Persian Turquoise Parure, another set from the Queen Mother’s wedding gift haul.

If you’d like to see the royals sparkling during the birthday gala, and experience the performances put on to celebrate the Queen Mum’s big milestone birthday, you can currently stream the entire gala on YouTube!