So it was already lost a few years ago. Im starting to see sense in King Charles' decision to grand his brother the title of Duke of Edinburgh for life rather than one that can be inherited. The future Duchesses of Kent will be without a tiara unless the line goes from Lord Downpatrick to one of his cousins as their mother at least still has a tiara.
Look the bigger picture is clear. All the royal cousins of QEII will pass away this decade or the next. Their offspring will have no significance for the monarchy other than being second or third cousins to the main line. They can hold on to their jewels but will have no real use for them. Most of the Gloucester and remaining Kent jewels will end up at auction. Best scenario some will be purchased by The Duke of Edinburgh for his wife but I doubt that he will. Now the current cousins of William are more interesting. What will their role be? William has said it as recently as in the interview with Eugene that he wants to modernise the monarchy. Take his word for it. He will. He wants to slim things down in a major way. But, he will need all the help he can get. Anne will be too old at some stage but I doubt someone will dare to tell her that and that leaves only uncle Edward and auntie Sophie. Only Beatrice and Eugenie are titled cousins and seem to have taken up some interest in charities. Lady Louise and Earl James are not really contenders for a royal role. So jewel wise.. things will look very different in a decade or so.
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So it was already lost a few years ago. Im starting to see sense in King Charles' decision to grand his brother the title of Duke of Edinburgh for life rather than one that can be inherited. The future Duchesses of Kent will be without a tiara unless the line goes from Lord Downpatrick to one of his cousins as their mother at least still has a tiara.
So it was already lost a few years ago. Im starting to see sense in King Charles' decision to grand his brother the title of Duke of Edinburgh for life rather than one that can be inherited. The future Duchesses of Kent will be without a tiara unless the line goes from Lord Downpatrick to one of his cousins as their mother at least still has a tiara.
When it comes the the monarchy the UK seems to be headed down the line of the Spanish and Norwegian royals were the accent lies on the monarch, the consort and the heir(less) + spouse. Those four are them main royals to act in public on behalf of the monarchy and the rest is just family. The Netherlands is down a similar route and so is Luxembourg in spite of the larger families. They still continue the princely titles but only those of Nassau not of Luxembourg. I would not be surprised if Guillaume V or Charles I would in time alter things back to how Jean I arranged it.
To a certain extent that is a shame because in larger more populated countries more Royals do present a bigger opportunity for people to meet a Royal. However that ship has sailed. It also means that jewels will like the rest of the trappings of Royalty become more functional and less personal. So entire collections of fairly expensive jewels will be left to suit a female monarch, consort, heiress or heir's spouse.
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Look the bigger picture is clear. All the royal cousins of QEII will pass away this decade or the next. Their offspring will have no significance for the monarchy other than being second or third cousins to the main line. They can hold on to their jewels but will have no real use for them. Most of the Gloucester and remaining Kent jewels will end up at auction. Best scenario some will be purchased by The Duke of Edinburgh for his wife but I doubt that he will. Now the current cousins of William are more interesting. What will their role be? William has said it as recently as in the interview with Eugene that he wants to modernise the monarchy. Take his word for it. He will. He wants to slim things down in a major way. But, he will need all the help he can get. Anne will be too old at some stage but I doubt someone will dare to tell her that and that leaves only uncle Edward and auntie Sophie. Only Beatrice and Eugenie are titled cousins and seem to have taken up some interest in charities. Lady Louise and Earl James are not really contenders for a royal role. So jewel wise.. things will look very different in a decade or so.
Previous Message
So it was already lost a few years ago. Im starting to see sense in King Charles' decision to grand his brother the title of Duke of Edinburgh for life rather than one that can be inherited. The future Duchesses of Kent will be without a tiara unless the line goes from Lord Downpatrick to one of his cousins as their mother at least still has a tiara.
The aristocracy still wears jewels to big events (Royal Caledonian Ball, weddings, anniversaries), but we don't see much any more. They still happen, but "society" magazines now feature TV celebrities and "influencers" instead. The countess of St Andrews attended the Queen Charlotte's Ball one year, in tiara, with nary a peep.
Previous Message
Look the bigger picture is clear. All the royal cousins of QEII will pass away this decade or the next. Their offspring will have no significance for the monarchy other than being second or third cousins to the main line. They can hold on to their jewels but will have no real use for them. Most of the Gloucester and remaining Kent jewels will end up at auction. Best scenario some will be purchased by The Duke of Edinburgh for his wife but I doubt that he will. Now the current cousins of William are more interesting. What will their role be? William has said it as recently as in the interview with Eugene that he wants to modernise the monarchy. Take his word for it. He will. He wants to slim things down in a major way. But, he will need all the help he can get. Anne will be too old at some stage but I doubt someone will dare to tell her that and that leaves only uncle Edward and auntie Sophie. Only Beatrice and Eugenie are titled cousins and seem to have taken up some interest in charities. Lady Louise and Earl James are not really contenders for a royal role. So jewel wise.. things will look very different in a decade or so.
Previous Message
So it was already lost a few years ago. Im starting to see sense in King Charles' decision to grand his brother the title of Duke of Edinburgh for life rather than one that can be inherited. The future Duchesses of Kent will be without a tiara unless the line goes from Lord Downpatrick to one of his cousins as their mother at least still has a tiara.
Almost every mention of this diamond and pearl fringe tiara states unequivocally that it is a re-working of Queen Mary's bandeau tiara.
What evidence is there that this is indeed the case?
The base of the two tiaras are similar, but the Kents have never been rich (by royal standards). Why would they spend to have an existing tiara remade when there were others available ?
Just wondering.
Re: What evidence is there that this is the same tiara?
When they still had the Cambridge sapphires it was practical to have a smaller tiara as well.
Once they lost a major amount of their money they ended up selling the large tiara. By that time the Duchess was no longer a young woman and a very active Royal Duchess so she needed her tiara to be as representational as it could be. The diamond and pearl version of her jewels did that for her as an aging Duchess.
Maybe another clue has to be that Lady Helen Taylor wore this tiara for her wedding. Her mother had worn it in the previous all diamond version for her wedding.
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Almost every mention of this diamond and pearl fringe tiara states unequivocally that it is a re-working of Queen Mary's bandeau tiara.
What evidence is there that this is indeed the case?
The base of the two tiaras are similar, but the Kents have never been rich (by royal standards). Why would they spend to have an existing tiara remade when there were others available ?
Just wondering.
Re: What evidence is there that this is the same tiara?
Thank you Johan, those are logical assumptions. But still, is there hard evidence that the tiara is a rework of the older one, or is that just Internet lore that's been repeated over and over again.
on October 6, 2025, 7:31 am
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