State Visit from the USA - State Banquet: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall
Mighty Boosh Alert! Camilla busted out the grandest of all of the Queen Mum's tiaras, the Boucheron Honeycomb, for the state visit. She wears it often, but it's such a great piece -- it was sooooo sparkly on the video footage during the banquet!
And that's it right now for the tiara pictures -- I know that Princess Anne was there wearing the Meander tiara, and the Countess of Wessex was there in her wedding tiara, but no pictures yet. Princess Michael, the Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra were there as well. My kingdom for a look at some of their tiaras!
PHOTO CREDITS: Lewis Whyld - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Tags: state visit, tiara
Although her hair looks too long and bushy, Duchess Camilla really suits this tiara and it looks much better on her than it did on the Queen Mum. Also, she wore some favourite sparklers (origin unknown to me) and maybe that same gown that she wore in Spain. A lovely turnout.
I really hate this tiara. I know- hate? A TIARA? But I do! It's just to big. It's a wall of diamonds. No detailing. Ugh.
I love this tiara. It has presence and Cam suits it-it would probably snap Sophie or Catherine's neck.
This tiara can handle Camilla's hair. Looks very majestic on her.
This looks like the blue Bruce Oldfield dress that she wore on the Spanish trip. This is a very nice dress.
The Vladimir tiara has a very interesting history. It was made about 1890 for a Russian grand duchess, left behind in a safe hidden in a wall in the palace in St. Petersburg. When the Bolsheviks looted the palace, they missed it. A friend/retainer of the duchess bravely got in somehow, got the jewels, including the tiara, and got out by posing as a humble woman. That was about 1919. Later on, living in Paris, the duchess, probably in need of cash, sold the tiara to....who else....but...Queen Mary.
Eliza, I am with you. I hate the gigantic-ness of Camilla's tiara. It's just too doggone big.
I love this tiara, especially on Cam, and when I look at her elegance on that picture I just think she will make a great Princess Consort
I fall into the love camp for this tiara. But only on Cams mind, her hair carries it beautifully. Fab frock and colour too, but isn't the real story the royal family order? A personal gift from HM, and a true sign of acceptance surely?!
I am a huge fan of the Mighty Boosh and love seeing it on the Duchess. The quirky honeycomb theme and ultra sparkle factor win me over. She seems to be wearing it at a slightly different angle today and I'm loving it, and her hair. The frock and RForder, perfect show for the Duchess!
Love the tiara. But is it possible to turn full rss feed back on? It tales ages to see all the hattery now!
Toward the end of her life, I always wondered how the Queen Mum kept the Mighty Boosh in place, given that her hair was getting so thin. Camilla doesn't have that problem and the Boosh looks very, very good on her. So does the dress.
The Vladimir tiara the Queen is wearing used to belong to Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. Here she is wearing it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin_(Maria_Pavlovna_of_Russia)
She had one of the most glittering jewel collections in Imperial Russia.
Another add for the love the tiara camp. How elegant does Camilla look here? I also noticed the Royal Order and its implications.
One of the best evening appearances in my mind by Camilla. That beautiful blue is such a flattering color for her and the simple cut of the gown displays her shoulders and the necklace so well. The order stands out brilliantly and I'm sure she's tickled to death to be wearing it. While I've always thought her hair too casual in look for these major tiaras, she does carry the Boosh with great flair and elegance. I love her erect carriage; Queen Mary would certainly be Proud Mary to see her tiara displayed with such elegance.
Oops - I was thinking of the Delhi tiara in reference to Queen Mary since the Boosh was originally given to the Queen Mum. Well, I hope she'd enjoy the sight as well of Camilla wearing the tiara
I agree with Patricia. This is an excellent evening turnout for Camilla. The dress is just right for a formal dinner, the color is very flattering and the neckline is lovely. And the tiara looks great. I think I have seen the Queen's order on her shoulder once before, and I am glad to see she got it. I can only imagine how that HOneycomb tiara must sparkle under the lights. Stunning. I like it better than the Delhi Durban tiara too.
There is very few royals that has hair for this tiara. It was made in time when womens hair was long and gathered (with maybe some loaned hair) up and it needs that kind of hair to be pretty.
Cams can do it and I love it on her.
I will always have big love for the Mighty Bouch. I think it is the most perfect tiara. I always liked it on the Queen Mum, but now I often wonder how she coped with its size when I see it on Camilla, as it always seems to sit so nicely in her hair. It's about time she was allowed to play with some more of the bigger pieces. We could have a possible Queen Mary kinda gal on our hands if given half a chance.
Her gown is gorgeous, and I'm so glad she doesn't feel obliged to go for the white sported by the other ladies of the Windsor clan. And she's had the Order a while now, for according to Wikipedia (which is of course always true as we know), she was awarded it on 30th October 2007 when King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia popped over for his tea.
In this Dail Fail article, you can see the Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra (only recognisable from the back by her Garter sash) in the bottom right of one of the pictures. Not clear enough to see tiaras unfortunately - it really irks me how we don't get to see these other royal ladies in their finery. Michelle Obama did look stunning in Tom Ford, too.
Phew. Long post over.
I agree, Michelle Obama looked wonderful. I am a rock ribbed Republican, but I know elegance when I see it. Well played Mrs. O!
The Queen's brooch is one we haven't seen very often. It's the Teck Corsage Brooch and it originally belonged to Princess Mary of Teck, Queen Mary's mother. I wonder why HM didn't wear her own family orders?
I don't know why, but I'm not keen on Camilla in tiaras. I love her to bits, but I just prefer her looking like she's just come back from walking the dogs.
Having said that, she looks grand here. The blue is lovely - I think that it gives the tiara room to shine. It's definitely her best bling-tastic appearance to date.
I have never been a fan of the Boucheron Honeycomb tiara. Before the Queen Mother added the diamond clusters to the top, the tiara looked like a fence. Since the tiara has no historical royal provenance(it was bequeathed to the Queen Mother by a socialite friend), I would like to see it dismantled and the diamonds used to make a new, unique tiara designed for Camilla.
Just lovely. The bouch is such a massive thing, and Camilla's massive hair suits it beautifully. Lovely dress, too. I think this is the best I've seen her look since her wedding day, quite frankly. So sparkly!
Now Arthur, I don't know about taking the Honeycomb apart and repurposing the diamonds. But I have been re-reading "The Queen's Jewels" and that has been done. Apparently there was a cache of jewels given during the Raj that have never been seen again. And some pieces of known jewelry are known to have been made from which is called "spare diamonds." Imagine, spare diamonds.
I like both tiaras, Camilla's and HM's. The bigger the better I say. Is it just me or does Camilla's clothes from the waist up seem too big for her. I've noticed this on more than one occasion. I think she would look a little better if they were slightly more fitted to her top area. And a good support bra in her case is a necessity.
Sir Tom, thanks for the link to some great pictures. There's PR Anne in her tiara at the bottom. And a great close up of Cam's necklace. I wonder if the necklace is her own or from the Queen's vault.
During the 70s, I used to wear my hair like Cam. I still like the style. It suits Cam and is a perfect nest for substantial tiaras...even crowns.
Here's another good view of Anne in the Meander at 2:16 in this BBC video of the banquet: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13533345
There's a fairly clear view of Anne here from the DM: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-1390540-0C40E93900000578-82_470x423.jpg
The tiara looks like it's a bit too 'buried' in her hair for my liking..
Just noticed you can also see Princess Anne and I think Princess Michael behind the Queen here as well:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/25/article-1390540-0C3F873F00000578-223_964x916.jpg
@ haoran - I reckon from that picture (thank you, by the way)that Princess Michael is wearing the Kent Fringe Tiara. It's for reasons like this that the royal family should have proper photo calls for these events.
Follow that tiara! Having just viewed the vid (thanks for linking, Teresa Pina, comment 25!), I am now a devoted admirer of The Boucheron Honeycomb. That massed bank of diamonds is practically its own source of illumination, reflecting so intensely (as you noticed, Ella), in the relatively poor filming conditions of the State Banquet Hall that in the event of a blackout, I reckon Cams could lead the whole assembly to safety by the sheer volume of light trapped within its crystals. Every time she moves her head it is throwing rays around like a lightsabre, no doubt visible even from the more distant seats. A tiara straight from the fairytales and legends of the collective unconscious!
Now compare the Bouche’s tiara-tastic performance with The Vladimir on the same screen at the same distance, and there is no contest: The Vlad sparkle rate is about equivalent to a used lightglobe. Although Her Maj did wear something else bright and attention-getting – those jiggling pearl earrings. Everytime HM so much as shifted her gaze, those drop earrings got swinging. It grieves me to say that these earrings - unlike Cam’s - break the rule that says, “One’s tiara earrings must never compete for attention with the tiara itself”. Unfortunatley, with a jewellery collection like HM’s that is nearly all “statement” pieces, overaccessorising is bound to happen occasionally.