The most beautiful tiaras of the state dinner in honor of Naruhito and Masako of Japan

In the East Gallery of Buckingham Palace, people are busy. Under the watchful eye of Queen Camilla, staff are rearranging for the last time the magnificent table laid for the state banquet in honor of the Japanese Imperial Couple. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, welcomed earlier today by Charles III and his wife, are on a three-day official visit to Britain. It was also side by side that the monarchs entered the ballroom on June 25, followed by their respective wives. For the occasion, Queen Camilla and Empress Masako have unpacked precious jewels from their royal chests. Just like Sophie of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester, who failed to make the British monarchy shine.

Read also >> Naruhito and Masako from Japan warmly welcomed by Charles III and Camilla

LThe Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara of Empress Masako

Since her accession to the throne in 2019, Empress Masako has never worn her hair. However, it is one of the most spectacular jewels in the imperial collection. The Chrysanthemum Tiara, set with thousands of diamonds, was designed in 1917 by the Mikimoto jewelers – today the world leader in pearls – for Empress Teimei. Inspired by the Imperial Seal of Japan in the shape of a chrysanthemum, it has the special feature of being reserved for reigning empresses. It is also this remarkable head jewel that her mother-in-law, Empress Michiko, wore at the last state banquet hosted by Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1998.

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Queen Camilla’s “Burmese Ruby Tiara”

Queen Camilla, for her part, opted for a tiara set with 96 rubies and diamonds representing… chrysanthemums! As a subtle nod to her guests, this exceptional piece was commissioned from Garrard by her mother-in-law in the early 1970s. Elizabeth II had thus entrusted the rubies presented to her by the Burmese government in 1947 to the crown jeweler on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Philip. She finally wore it for the first time, in May 1975, during a state visit to Japan. However, another outburst calls for attention. Not that of her necklace with three rows of diamond festoons (called the George VI Festoon necklace), but that of a small frame of round brilliants surmounted by a Tudor crown attached to a sea-green ribbon. In the centre, a miniature of Charles III, painted in oil. Camilla has just unveiled her husband’s brand-new family order.

Sophie from Edinburgh’s “Lotus Flower Tiara”

Radiant in her emerald green Suzannah gown, the Duchess of Edinburgh pulled off a surprise by styling the Lotus Flower Tiara, so beloved of Princess Margaret and so often worn by Kate. The headband, whose diamond patterns resemble papyrus leaves, was originally a necklace given to Queen Mum by her husband George VI as a wedding gift. Elizabeth would only wear it a few times and pass it on to her youngest daughter. After her death, however, the jewel disappeared from circulation until the Princess of Wales wore it at the Diplomatic Corps Dinner in 2013. Sophie certainly had to get permission from Queen Camilla to display it tonight, along with one of the Crown’s treasures.

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The Duchess of Gloucester’s Honeysuckle Tiara

Just as impressive as the tiaras of Empress Masako and Queen Camilla, that of the Duchess of Gloucester is nicknamed the “Cartier Indian tiara”. The jewel, composed of pearls, diamonds and sapphires, was made between 1906 and 1921 at the request of Cartier by jeweler Henri Pierre Lavabre. The sponsor, Marie-Louise Princess of Schleswig-Holstein, is a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She notably wore it during the coronation of her cousin Elizabeth II in 1953, before bequeathing it to her godson, Prince Richard of Gloucester.

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