The Duchess of Wellington’s Dazzling Diamond Floral Tiara in Westminster

While the King and Queen sparkled on their thrones during the State Opening of Parliament, many eyes turned to another royal lady in the room: the Duchess of Wellington, who wore a spectacular diamond floral tiara for the occasion.

The State Opening of Parliament took place on Wednesday, marking the start of a new parliamentary session after the recent elections in Britain. King Charles III wore the Imperial State Crown as he delivered his speech from the throne, while Queen Camilla sparkled in the magnificent Diamond Diadem made for King George IV in 1820.

There were more sparkling jewels present on the heads of various peeresses in the chamber. The Duke and Duchess of Wellington looked grand as they waited for the ceremony to begin. The 9th Duke, Charles Wellesley, is a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. His wife, the Duchess, was born Princess Antonia of Prussia. Her parents were Prince Friedrich of Prussia, a grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Lady Brigid Guinness, the youngest daughter of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh.

Princess Antonia has an illustrious royal and aristocratic pedigree of her own, but the jewels she wore for the State Opening on Wednesday come from her husband’s family. She wore a gorgeous diamond floral tiara, with a coordinating brooch pinned at her collar, with baroque pearl drop earrings.

The jewels are part of the Wellesley family collection. They’ve almost certainly been in the family vaults since the nineteenth century, and their design details would certainly suggest a Victorian-era provenance. The diamonds have appeared on previous Duchesses of Wellington, including Kathleen Wellesley, the wife of the 4th Duke. She was Duchess of Wellington from 1900, when her husband succeeded to the title, until her death in 1927.

In this series of portraits, likely taken around the time of her husband’s accession to the title, Kathleen wears an almost overwhelming array of diamonds. Take note specifically of the floral corsage ornament pinned to her bodice. The tiara that Princess Antonia wore on Wednesday is the top section of that stomacher, placed on a tiara frame. The brooch that Antonia wore also appears to be pinned to Kathleen’s gown in these photographs.

Here’s a closer look at the tiara and brooch on Antonia, which allows you to compare the floral section at the center of the tiara to the floral centerpiece of Kathleen’s diamond stomacher.

The long trailing sections on either side of that floral element are also part of the tiara. Here, you can see the long sides of the piece curving around Antonia’s head.

The Wellesleys have a remarkable collection of jewelry at their disposal. Princess Antonia also often wears the Wellington Tiara, an elaborate circlet that has been worn by Duchesses of Wellington since the 1850s. (It’s the same tiara worn by Kathleen in those turn of the century portraits above.) And there are likely more important pieces still remaining in the collection, too. Various descriptions of Kathleen Wellesley’s jewels in contemporary newspapers mention an emerald and diamond tiara and necklace, as well as a suite of amethysts.