State Visit from South Africa: HM The Queen
There's definitely a Tiara Alert at Buck House tonight -- The Queen's gotten out one of her shiniest and blingy-est tiaras for tonight's state banquet: Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara.
According to the all-knowing Mad Hattery archives, we haven't seen this tiara out and about since May 2008, when HM wore it during a state visit to Turkey. I'm not really that surprised we don't see it more often -- even though I quite like it, it is probably one of the very fanciest ones that HM owns (if there's a continuum of fanciness for tiaras, anyway).
Sometimes also called the Russian Kokoshnik Tiara, this sparkler was given to the Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra) in 1888 by Lady Salisbury on behalf of a group of 365 of the wives of the peers of the realm. (It's called "Russian" because it was made in the Kokoshnik style, which is a reference to a traditional Russian headdress, not because it came from Russia.)
It's just lousy with diamonds: if you can believe it, there are nearly 500 of them in the piece. I have a feeling that seeing it in person might be sort of like looking at a solar eclipse -- it's shiny and bright, but you might go blind if you're not careful! 
Tags: state visit, tiara
What I'd like to know: where are the photographers when they take pictures of people at table? Mr. Zuma looks like he is looking directly at the camera, which would seem to indicate that the photographer is standing on the table. I know it can't be, but . . .
That's a good question, Ursula. We're used to seeing them hold state banquets at Windsor Castle, where they have one long table. At this Buckingham Palace dinner, however, it's a horseshoe-shaped table, so the photographer, I think, is taking the photos from the empty space in the middle of the horseshoe.
Here's an image of the table set-up...
Well, it must be distracting to have someone with a camera right in front of you. I guess they are used to it.
She looked fab on the news tonight - absolutely glittering. Everyone else looked positively dull in comparison
HM does look great! I love the kokoshnik and she's wearing "her best diamonds" - the diamonds that were a gift from South Africa, appropriate for this visit!
Such a fabulous change from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. I love that it's just a solid wall of diamonds. However, the whole white dress thing is rearing it's ugly head again. I just think after a certain age, women shouldn't wear solid white, even if you are the Queen. This just washes her out. Let's have some colour, like in the frocks she had for Trinidad and Tobago last year.
Cracking tiara, though.
Too right Sir Tom - Liz, if you are reading this (surely you are?!) please get some colour out at night - you look ghostlike. Kokoshnik is always fabulous, a wall of diamonds - agreed.
The South African diamonds are a nice touch. I guess it's only polite when you have guests to fish out the gifts they gave you. Mine seem to turn up with a bottle of wine and chocs if I'm lucky though...
Maybe the white dress is actually her nightie - just whip off the diamonds and straight to bed after a long banquet!
I would think Lillibet would have a major headache/neckache from all the jewelry. But she looks great! I often wonder how long it takes for her and her ladies to get HM put together for something this grand.
Kokoshnik is one of my favorite tiaras, next to the Cambridge.