Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, Glitters in Queen Mary’s Honeysuckle Tiara

The French state visit to Britain this week was a veritable cornucopia of glamour. All eyes, naturally, were on the Windsor Castle banquet on Tuesday, which saw Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, make her dazzling return to white-tie-and-tiara form, but might you have missed the second, though no less regal, gala dinner on Wednesday? Fresh from celebrating their wedding anniversary at Windsor, Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, and Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester, hosted President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, for an evening at the Guildhall in London.

Joined by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of London, Alastair King and Florence Walker, the Duchess of Gloucester wore jewels from the vast Gloucester collection, passed down by Princess Alice. One piece, the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara, was originally commissioned by Queen Mary after the succession of her husband, King George V, in 1910. The Gloucester Honeysuckle repurposed the diamonds previously used in Queen Mary’s wedding gifts, the Ladies of England Tiara and the Surrey Fringe Tiara. So significant was the tiara that it once bore the Cullinan V diamond, cut from the largest diamond ever found.

The Honeysuckle Tiara was passed on to the Gloucesters after the wedding of Queen Mary’s son, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to Lady Alice Montague Douglas Scott in 1935. The new Duchess wore the piece for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and it became a fast favorite for Princess Alice until she passed away in 2004 as the oldest ever member of the royal family. Illustrious shoes to fill when it comes to a lifetime of royal duty, but a legacy that has been continued with grace by Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester, who has worn the Honeysuckle Tiara at numerous royal engagements, including the 1995 wedding of Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg to Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, and that infamous American state visit in 2019.

Sitting down in the Guildhall Great Hall next to President Macron, who delivered a speech praising the bonds between Britain and France, the Duchess paired the dazzling headpiece with another family heirloom, Queen Mary’s pink topaz necklace, a frequent choice for the Guildhall banquets at which the Gloucesters so often represent the Crown on state visits. Alongside her jewels and diamond earrings, Birgitte also wore a plethora of royal regalia, including the Order of the Garter and the Royal Family Orders of both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.

Fans of the often unsung Duchess of Gloucester will have been thrilled to see her don her royal finery two days in a row. On Tuesday, she and the Duke of Gloucester joined King Charles, Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh to welcome the French president and first lady for a banquet at Windsor Castle. No doubt, the event was especially celebratory for the couple, who were also marking their 52nd wedding anniversary amid the splendor.

The Duchess brought out her Teck Turquoise Tiara for the special event Tuesday, a piece originally given to Princess Mary of Teck when she married the Duke of York, the future King George V. For the state banquet, she teamed it with other iconic turquoise pieces, such as Queen Mary’s Fringe Necklace (not seen since 1999), a second necklace, a turquoise brooch and matching earrings.

Elsewhere at the event, the Duchess of Edinburgh showed off a stunning array of jewelry, including her Aquamarine Tiara: a striking piece which features a large central gem set within a modern diamond scroll frame. Likely a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth, it was first worn by Sophie in 2005; on less formal occasions, she has also sported it as a necklace, such as for Queen Elizabeth’s 80th birthday dinner at the Ritz. For the French banquet, Sophie teamed the piece with a delicate diamond necklace and matching cuff earrings.

Princess Anne paired her white gown and matching bolero jacket with her Diamond Festoon Tiara and Diamond Festoon Necklace. The tiara, given to the Princess by the World Wide Shipping Group, was first worn by Anne for a series of portraits by Lord Lichfield, which were released on her 23rd birthday. It paired well with her Festoon Necklace, which was given to her for her 18th birthday by her parents, along with a set of matching pendant earrings. The Princess Royal has chosen to wear this delicate tiara to a host of important royal events, including several state visits; she also loaned the piece to Autumn Kelly for her wedding to Peter Phillips in 2009.