The queen loves a convertible piece, just like the rest of us.
Queen Camilla might be recovering from a chest infection and pneumonia, but that isn’t stopping her from stepping out at her latest event and looking fabulous as ever.
The queen, alongside King Charles, hosted Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, for a banquet at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, December 3. For the state dinner, Camilla looked holiday ready in a red velvet Fiona Clare evening dress and the diamond Kokoshnik tiara, according to The Telegraph. She completed her look with a bright blue royal sash and a necklace that previously belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Camilla, however, didn’t stay for the whole event—she left after taking pictures with Amir and Sheikha Jawaher to continue her recovery, but is expected to see the guests again at a dinner and farewells in the final day of their visit, according to People.
The diamond Kokoshnik tiara, which was created in 1888, actually pulls double duty—though Camilla wore it on her head, she could have worn it as a necklace, as the Garrad Royal Ledger states. The record describes as “a brilliant graduating diamond tiara in the Russian style, also to form a necklace.”
Garrad further explained that the tiara is comprised of “a series of 61 vertical bars,” and has “more than 400 perfectly matched diamonds”—488 to be exact. The necklace is also “convertible into a necklace, showcasing Garrard’s expertise in crafting versatile diamond jewels that could be worn in multiple ways.” The visit also marks the first time Camilla has worn the tiara in public after Charles inherited it from Queen Elizabeth II, according to The Court Jeweller.
Camilla’s last major tiara moment came in the form of the Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara, which features five emerald-cut aquamarine gems connected by a set of diamonds that appear in a ribbon-like formation. She wore the crown at the Diplomatic Corps Reception at Buckingham Palace on November 19.
Elizabeth wore the tiara only once back in 1970 during her royal tour of Canada, according to The Court Jeweller. Very few details are known about the tiara, including its origins, and it has rarely been worn in public.