Here's some extra info which I received from a kind jewel expert per email (Thank You !!) about the jewels worn yesterday in Westminster Palace for the State Opening of the British Parliament. Next to the jewels worn by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cornwall, another royal jewel could be spotted in the House of Lords: the turquoise, moonstone and diamond kokoshnik tiara of Grand-Duchess Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt.
The tiara is worn by the lady wearing a grey outfit, on the right of the 1st picture, and in the middle of the 2nd and 3rd pictures.
According to Geoffrey Munn's book Tiaras - A History of Splendour, (pages 279 and 283-285), this tiara was presented in 1905 by Grand-Duke Ernst-Ludwig of Hesse and By Rhine (Hesse-Darmstadt) as a Christmas gift to his second wife Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, shortly after their wedding. This tiara was in the plane transporting the Grand-Ducal family to London in 1937 for the wedding of Prince Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt to the Hon. Margaret Geddes; Munn mentions the tiara was intended as a wedding gift from Dowager Grand-Duchess Eleonore to the bride. As we all know, the plane unfortunately crashed near Ostende in Belgium, killing the whole family (except Ludwig and Margaret, who were already in Britain). But the tiara, which was probably kept in a strong-box, went intact and was inherited by Margaret, who often wore it. Last year, for the State Opening of Parliament on May 8th, 2013, this tiara was already spotted on the same lady. It was then speculated on the RJWMB that this lady might be Susan, wife of Baron Euan Geddes, a nephew of Margaret Geddes who is also a deputy speaker of the House of Lords. As Ludwig and Margaret had no children, it seems to be a plausible conclusion that Margaret bequathed the tiara to her nephew. http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1368045123.html http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1368111186.html http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1368111388.html