A Glamorous Diamond and Pink Topaz Tiara for the Duchess of Gloucester at the Guildhall

On the second night of a state visit to Britain, a banquet is traditionally held for the visiting head of state at the Guildhall in London. Above, the President and First Lady of South Korea are pictured with the Lord Mayor and Lord Mayoress of London and the evening’s royal representatives, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

For the white-tie banquet, Birgitte wore a blue evening gown and wrap from her closet with the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order and the Royal Family Order of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

She accessorized with fabulous diamond and pink topaz jewels from the collection of her late mother-in-law, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Many of the pieces were given to Alice by Queen Mary.

For the dinner, Birgitte wore Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara with its pink gemstone centerpiece. She also added pink topaz and diamond cluster earrings and two diamond necklaces. One of the necklaces, which has a twist in its design, features a large pink topaz element that was once a brooch from Queen Mary’s collection. Princess Alice had the piece converted to be worn with this necklace. The other diamond necklace has a large pink topaz drop.

Birgitte has been wearing pieces from the diamond and pink topaz collection for decades. She often uses them for Guildhall banquets, including this outing in March 2009.

She also wore some of the same jewels for a Guildhall banquet in October 2009.

Here’s one more look at the jewelry as worn by Birgitte at the Guildhall on Wednesday evening. What do you think: do you like the combination of the blue gown with the pink and white gems?

A scheduling note: after all of this week’s state visit sparkle, I’m taking some time off to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I’ll be back here on Saturday with more royal jewels! PS: I’m incredibly thankful, as always, for all of you reading here! You make all of this possible.