The Prince of Wales shortly before the banquet for South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace in London on Tuesday. Associated Press/LaPresse (APN)
When young Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon married Albert, then Duke of York, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, on April 26, 1923, she did not know that she would one day become Queen Consort of the United Kingdom. After the wedding in Westminster Abbey in London, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was created Duchess of York. Elizabeth was the youngest and ninth child of the marriage of the Scottish landowner, aristocrat and nobleman Claude Bowes-Lyon and Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck, great-great-granddaughter of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck. Claude Bowes-Lyon decided to give his daughter a gift worthy of her new title on the occasion of her wedding: the Strathmore Rose tiara (which bears the family’s name since they were Earls of Strathmore).
100 years later, the jewel is now making headlines. During the banquet that King Charles III. Hosted this Tuesday evening by the President of the Republic of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and the First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, at Buckingham Palace, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, wore this spectacular and historic tiara, which has been the subject of much speculation for years. For the occasion, Prince William’s wife chose a white dress with floral embroidery made of metallic threads on the shoulders, a design by the Jenny Packham brand (around 4,500 euros), which she wore with long white gloves. Middleton also wore the sash and star of the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, the highest honorary title a woman can receive in England, created by Queen Victoria in 1896 and awarded to her by Queen Elizabeth II in gratitude for her service the crown in 2019. However, what attracted the most attention was her choice of this tiara, which has not been worn by any member of the British royal family in 90 years.
More information
Acquired by jewelry firm Catchpole & Williams, this 19th-century gem was described as a “diamond band with five roses and bouquets of diamonds between them, forming separate brooches.” Both the tiara and other gifts presented to the young couple of Elizabeth and Albert, known as Bertie, were displayed in the picture gallery at Buckingham Palace before their wedding reception, and many guests were able to see the display of these items at a couple of parties , organized by King George and Queen Mary in honor of the newlyweds. After the wedding, the new Duchess of York used the same tiara in several official portraits taken in the early years of her marriage – wearing it crossed on her forehead, in keeping with the aesthetic of the moment. The last time he used it was during a visit to the opera in the early 1930s.
One of the official portraits of the Duchess of York, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (with the Strathmore Rose tiara) and Prince Albert. API (Gamma Rapho via Getty Images)
The Strathmore Rose has been the subject of speculation for years. Thanks to the official portraits, it was a very recognizable tiara with a pronounced twenties trend, linked to the youth of the woman, on May 12, 1937 and after the abdication of Edward VIII, the prominent American Wallis Simpson married. ascended by the hand of her husband, who was known as George VI. reigned, the throne of the United Kingdom. Some rumors suggested that the tiara may have deteriorated over time, but these were disproven when it appeared in several exhibitions, such as “Tiaras,” held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2002, and “Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration, an exhibition in immaculate condition appeared at Buckingham Palace in 2012 to commemorate the 60-year reign of Elizabeth II and showcase the diverse uses of diamonds by British monarchs over the past two centuries.
It was in 2002, after the death of the Queen Mother, that Elizabeth II inherited the famous tiara but never used it publicly. Other speculation suggested that a royal bride would use it as a nod to the past at one of her weddings, but that never happened. Until now, with Kate Middleton.
Kate Middleton accompanied by South Korea’s Vice President Choo Kyung-ho, followed by Princess Anna, as she enters the banquet at Buckingham Palace on November 21.WPA Pool (Getty Images)
The heir’s wife usually emphasizes the continuity and legacy of the British royal family through tiaras. Her favorite, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, which she wore to her first official gala dinner as Princess of Wales after the death of Elizabeth II, reflects this idea perfectly. It is a tiara that has always been associated with her predecessor in the title, Princess Diana, and which Kate wore on numerous occasions during the ten years she served as Duchess of Cambridge alongside William of England. The lover’s knot was one of the knots that Lady Di used most, but it was created for María de Teck, grandmother of Elizabeth II, with pearls and diamonds that already belonged to the royal family in 1914. After the death of Diana of Wales, it was. It was kept in the royal jewelry box until Kate Middleton decided to dust it off and start using it frequently again in 2015.