Did Queen Mary wear the Delhi Durbar tiara and necklace before the Durbar??Archived Message
Posted by Beth on March 4, 2016, 5:09 am
I have found some references in the Times to Queen Mary's jewels which may indicate that she wore parts of the Delhi Durbar parure prior to the Durbar in India.
Before I give the evidence I have found, could I say that I don't think that what I have found are references to the necklace or brooch which were the official gifts of the Ladies of India - that is the necklace which HM later transformed into the choker which was subsequently worn by Diana, Princess of Wales or the carved emerald brooch given by the Ladies of India.
Those jewels were formally presented to HM in Delhi and, although we are told the necklace was probably made in England, I doubt if the Queen would have worn it before the official presentation.
The Indian gifts were The Delhi Durbar brooch
And a necklace - which is the upper emerald necklace in this photo of HM
which was later reset into the upper emerald choker in this photo
This was later worn by Diana, Princess of Wales.
The jewels which I think may have been worn before the Delhi Durbar are the tiara and the necklace made from the Cambridge emeralds - that is the necklace which is worn today by QEII.
The necklace - as per a photo posted by Nickola in 2002
Below are the references I found to Queen Mary wearing significant emerald jewels from mid to late 1911 which I think may be the tiara and necklace with the Cambridge emeralds.
1. From the Times 28 June 1911 - a report of HM's jewels at a Gala performance at the theatre for the festivities connected with the Coronation.
I believe it could be the lower necklace in this photo, but I also realise that this is not a definitive description and that there are photos of HM wearing a cabochon emerald necklace for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911. Nevertheless, for a gala evening during the Coronation festivities, I suspect that Queen Mary may have worn the more impressive necklace.
2. A description of HM's "crown" from a Court held in Dublin seems more likely to be the Delhi Durbar tiara - otherwise we have to account for another "crown" with emeralds. From the Times 13 July 1911 page 10.
I do not know of any other head piece/tiara which Queen Mary had at the time which could be described as an emerald and diamond crown - other than the Delhi Durbar tiara.
I would be interested to hear the opinion of others.