Princess Margaret and QEII Archived Message
Posted by Beth on February 26, 2016, 4:37 am, in reply to "Re: Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood wearing a type of tiara prior to marriage"
When I started this thread, I had not intended to examine the question of Princess Margaret's and QEII's first use of tiaras as I know that is a matter of contention. We know from Roberts that QEQM gave QEII the Halo tiara as an eighteenth birthday present. Yet, we do not have any photos of HM wearing this tiara - or any other- prior to her marriage. I believe that is because, when the tiara was given to QEII, the nation was still at war, and in the next two to three years there were very few royal occasions when grand jewels were worn in public. Even QEQM and Queen Mary wore tiaras only on a few occasions in the two years after the end of the war. I realise that the issue is debatable, and others will have other opinions. I believe that it is possible that QEII may have worn a tiara prior to her marriage for private occasions or for official dinners, receptions etc for which no photographs were released for public circulation. However, without photographic evidence or press reports, the concept must remain just that. On the other hand, I cannot understand why QEII would have been given a tiara as an eighteenth birthday present if it was not intended it would be worn as soon as the war was over and grand Court functions resumed. Re Princess Margaret. There are numerous occasions when she wore a tiara prior to marriage. Not all of them were for occasions when she represented the King or her sister, the Queen, abroad in an official capacity. Most of the occasions when Princess Margaret was photographed wearing a tiara could, however, be classified as an "official" occasion. Some of those in the UK were during the life time of her father. For example, the return dinner given by Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1950. From the Illustrated London News 2 December 1950. I suspect that even this event, (in November 1951) a charity ball in Paris to raise funds for the British Hereford Hospital, would have been classified as an official event, rather than a private occasion. From the Illustrated London News 1 December 1951. On other occasions Princess Margaret attended balls without a tiara. The question, of course, is how to differentiate between a private and public occasion. Some times the distinction is easy; some times not.
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