As for Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, the late Queen’s ‘favourite daughter in law’, who has become something of a rock for the royals in recent months, wore her signature Aquarmarine Tiara. Thought to be a gift from Queen Elizabeth herself, the Duchess of Edinburgh first wore the piece at a gala celebrating the enthronement of Prince Albert of Monaco in 2005. The mother of Lady Louise Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex has become known for dazzling in the Tiara, especially after her appearance at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden to Princess Sofia in 2015.

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, made a rare appearance at the banquet yesterday – a perfect opportunity to showcase her impressive repertoire of jewellery, which is said to be larger than many royal collections. The 78-year-old was seen sporting the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara. Originally commissioned by Queen Mary after the succession of her husband, King George V, in 1910, the Gloucester Honeysuckle repurposed the diamonds previously used in Queen Mary’s wedding gifts – the Ladies of England Tiara and the Surrey Fringe Tiara. So significant was the Tiara that it once bore the Cullinan V diamond, cut from the largest diamond ever found.

The Tiara was passed on to the Gloucesters after the wedding of Queen Mary’s son, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to Lady Alice Montague Douglas Scott in 1935. The new Duchess wore the piece for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and it became a fast favourite for Princess Alice until she passed away in 2004 as the oldest ever member of the royal family. Illustrious shoes to fill when it comes to a lifetime of royal duty, but a legacy that has been continued with grace by Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, who has worn the Honeysuckle Tiara at numerous royal engagements, including the 1995 wedding of Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg to Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, and that infamous American state visit in 2019. Birgitte paired the piece with another set of heirloom jewels, the Gloucester Pearl and Emerald Suite.