The Royal Family welcomed Qatar’s Amir with open arms on Tuesday for a state visit, with traditional ceremonies at Horse Guards Parade followed by a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles, Prince William, and Princess Kate. As evening fell, the affair became even more opulent, with both British and Qatari royals slipping into their most dazzling attire for a State Banquet.
At the lavish dinner, King Charles remarked: “The United Kingdom is proud to be Qatar’s oldest friend in the Western world. We have a special bond founded on mutual respect which has stood the test of time.”
However, it was Queen Camilla who truly captivated the attendees at the banquet, entering the palace ballroom adorned with a 488-diamond tiara, crafted in classic white and yellow gold. The ‘Kokoshnik’ tiara, radiant like a halo of diamonds, was once a preferred choice of the late Queen Elizabeth II for numerous prestigious events.
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Though highly associated with the late monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was only the fourth sovereign to wear this striking diadem, originally fashioned for Princess and later Queen Alexandra back in 1888. Surprisingly, for what is considered the most valuable tiara within the Royal Collection, its origins are quite humble; it was funded collectively by a group of 365 society women known as the “Ladies of Society”.
In the late Victorian era, then Princess of Wales Alexandra was marking her silver wedding anniversary with her husband, later known as King Edward VII. Royal jewellery expert Lauren Kiehna has described this significant milestone as a time when Britain’s elite would be expected to present lavish and extravagant gifts in an attempt to gain favour, reports the Mirror.
However, this era also signalled the beginning of the decline for the country’s land-owning nobility, many of whom began marrying wealthy American heiresses to maintain their estates. Despite this, four influential women in society managed to uphold their family’s honour by forming a committee to raise funds for an extraordinary tiara.
These women represented a wide political consensus, with the Marchioness of Salisbury, wife of Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, and the Marchioness of Ailesbury, a key supporter of the opposition, leading the effort. After rallying around 365 women from the aristocracy, they succeeded in raising £4,400.
Princess Alexandra was consulted on the design of the tiara and she did not hold back her preference for grandeur, requesting a design similar to the heavy diamond halo-shaped tiara of her sister, the immensely wealthy Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia’s Romanov dynasty.
Originally, the crown jeweller Garrard crafted a 400-diamond tiara from 77 fringe pieces, set in white and yellow gold. This quickly became one of the Princess’ favourite items, worn frequently at Royal events.
However, it wasn’t initially well-received. The Sydney Morning Herald likened it to “an exact copy of one possessed by her sister, the Empress of Russia,” and criticised it as “not a particularly beautiful object.”
Over time, it was refined to its current state, boasting 488 diamonds with 61 fringe bars in a smooth halo.
During Alexandra’s lifetime, the exquisite tiara was occasionally lent to other royals, including her mother Queen Louise of Denmark, who was often photographed wearing it before Alexandra ascended to the British throne. After its refinement, the Kokoshnik tiara was hailed as “among the handsomest of her jewelry possessions,” when she became Queen consort in 1901.
Following her death in 1925, the tiara was inherited by Queen Mary, who later passed it on to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The late Queen immediately wore it during her significant 1953 Commonwealth Tour and continued to do so over the decades, often pairing it with other jewel-laden pieces, such as her heavy Coronation necklace.
Historian Lauren Kiehna has noted that the Kokoshnik was: “one of the few tiaras that the Queen wore consistently throughout her entire reign.
“It has appeared on foreign tours and visits, at Royal premieres and performances, and at state banquets both in Britain and abroad.”
In its first significant appearance since the Queen’s passing, Camilla paired the Kokoshnik-style tiara with diamond earrings from her personal collection, along with a diamond necklace that also belonged to the late Queen and a ruby and diamond bracelet.