Princess Anne’s Sparkling Scottish Tiara in Edinburgh

Our celebration of the Princess Royal’s birthday continues today with a look at the tiara and jewels that she (and her mother and aunt) wore for a glittering royal ball in Scotland almost half a century ago.

In the autumn of 1976, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne, and Princess Margaret were guests at the Royal Company of Archers Ball in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Prince Charles had been scheduled to attend with them–making a special trip from HMS Bronington, where he was on active service with the Royal Navy–but by the time he got to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, he realized that he was suffering from the flu. (The Queen ended up catching it too, and Philip and Anne had to fill in for her on several engagements in the days after the ball.)

This ball, in particular, was a special one: it celebrated the 300th anniversary of the unit, which began as a private archery club and evolved to serve as the sovereign’s bodyguard in Scotland. Notable company members over the years have included Sir Tony Keswick (managing director of Jardines), Sir Angus Ogilvy (the late husband of Princess Alexandra), and Major-General Alastair Bruce (the television correspondent and historical advisor to Downton Abbey who now serves as Governor of Edinburgh Castle).

The ball was a white-tie event, with Prince Philip wearing his orders and decorations and the royal ladies in gowns and gala jewels. Elizabeth, Anne, and Margaret also wore tartan sashes with their dresses for the occasion. If I’m correct–and you all know that I’m far from an expert when it comes to the subject–all three ladies are wearing the Royal Stewart tartan, which is the personal tartan of the British monarch. (Scroll down for a color photograph from the occasion to see the colors of the Queen’s sash.)

The Queen coordinated her jewels with the green colors from the tartan for the occasion, wearing diamonds and emeralds. She paired the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara (reunited, by this time, with its original base) with the earrings and necklace from Queen Mary’s Delhi Durbar Parure. She used two jewels to secure her tartan sash, wearing Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Brooch pinned at her shoulder and the badge of the Royal Company of Archers pinned near her heart. She finished off the look with a diamond evening watch and her three-row diamond bracelet.

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Here’s a rare color picture from the 1976 ball, showing the Queen’s tartan, gown, and jewels. The gold tone of the sparkling embellishments of her dress coordinated beautifully with the green emeralds and the warm colors of the tartan. (The Getty caption for the photograph is incorrect; it is indeed a picture from the Archers ball, not a photograph from the Queen’s American visit earlier the same year.)

Here’s a look at the gala gowns and jewels worn by Princess Anne and Princess Margaret for the ball with their tartan sashes. Both royal ladies made several appearances in these gowns over the years, which thankfully means that we also have color pictures of the dresses from other occasions. Here’s a look at Anne wearing the same navy and white dress in Berlin in 1973, and Margaret wearing the same vibrant blue dress for a charity gala benefitting St. John Ambulance in the late 1970s.

For the Royal Company of Archers Ball, Anne accessorized with diamonds and pearls. She wore her classic Diamond Festoon Tiara, which was given to the princess in 1973 by the World-Wide Shipping Group after she christened one of their ships. She paired the tiara with diamond floral earrings and her four-row pearl choker with the diamond and sapphire floral clasp, as well as a four-row pearl bracelet. She secured her tartan with a sparkling buckle brooch at her shoulder and a second brooch at her hip. (I think that one is her De Beers Diamond Brooch.)

As she usually did with this dress, Princess Margaret wore the antique suite of turquoise jewelry that she received from her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The Persian Turquoise Tiara and its matching earrings, necklace, and brooch were wedding presents to Elizabeth from Queen Mary, who purchased the parure from Garrard. The jewels haven’t been seen in public since Margaret’s death.

Here’s one more look at the royal ensembles for the ball in Scotland. Which gown and jewelry combination do you like best?