The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara

  July 17, 2009 at 2:31 am by

Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel

The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara was made by Garrad in November 1913 for Queen Mary. The design was to copy that of a tiara which had been owned by Mary’s grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, who was married to the Duke of Cambridge. Augusta of Hesse’s tiara had been made to a neo-classical design in early nineteenth century and was a popular design of the period with at least five known tiaras still in existence of a similar pattern. image She gave the tiara to her daughter, Augusta, when she married the Grand Duke of Mecklenbery-Strelitz in 1843. image

Queen Mary made the new tiara from diamonds and pearls she had in her private collection many of which she received as a wedding present. Mary had the tiara made with a base row of diamonds with nineteen diamond bow and knot ribbon design where pearl drops hang. image The tiara in its original form also had a row of upright pearls. image (1926) In 1935, Queen Mary choose to have the upright pearls removed from the tiara and she continued to wear it without them for the remainder of her life. image Today, the tiara remains without the upright pearls.

From the TRF Avatar Gallery

Queen Mary left the tiara to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth, in her will in 1953. The Queen wore the tiara on a few occasions during the Fifties. image However in 1981, she gave the tiara as a wedding present to her daughter-in-law the Princess of Wales. image Diana, choose not to wear the tiara on her wedding day and its first wearing as to the Opening of Parliament in November 1981. Diana found the tiara heavy and it gave her headaches so she only wore it a few times to the most official of functions image (Australia 1983) or state visits. The Princess also wore the tiara in a number of photo shoots image (1987) and image (Vogue 1991) Following Diana’s death the tiara was returned to the royal vaults.

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