Dazzling diamonds left to Royal Family by heiress

The Princess of Wales has become the second senior royal in less
than 24 hours to appears in dazzling diamonds that once belonged to
one of the most famous names in London society.

For her visit to the Royal Variety Performance, Kate chose a
pair of earrings that were left to the Royal Family by Margaret
Greville, the society legend who also first owned the tiara that
Queen Camilla wore just hours before to the Diplomatic
Reception.

The two pieces that have done all the dazzling in the past few
days are part of the Greville collection which was left to Queen
Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother by Margaret Greville.

Mrs Greville had no descendants of her own to pass on her
substantial jewellery collection to. She was also worried that the
royals might be a little light on serious gems and so decided the
best thing to do was to bequeath the then Queen Consort all her
diamonds, emeralds and rubies.

It also meant that her impressive gem collection became part of
the royal jewellery box – and that we’re all still talking about
Mrs. Greville decades after her death.

The earrings chosen by Kate are well worth a conversation. They
are chandelier style and feature a huge range of cuts of diamonds
including baguette, square and trapeze cut. No prizes for guessing
that these earrings are by Cartier – they bear all the hallmarks of
the classic designs from the jewellery house.

The result is a shimmering wall of sparkle that didn’t stay with
the Queen Mother for long. She gave the earrings to her elder
daughter, Elizabeth, on her wedding day which makes Kate’s pick
even more special. For the Princess of Wales wore them on the eve
of the 78th anniversary of the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II to
Prince Philip.

It’s not known whether Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother,
gave the earrings to her daughter just before her big day so it
could be that they were worn on the exact anniversary of them
coming into the possession of the late Queen.

The Princess of Wales has worn them for several years and most
recently used them at the State Banquet for the President of France
at Windsor Castle in July.

Mrs Greville has been quite the star this past week as Queen
Camilla chose to wear one of the most unusual pieces left by her to
the Royal Family.

The diadem also caused some discussion as it has only ever been
seen in public before being worn by Princess Eugenie on her wedding
day.

The piece features diamonds and emeralds in a kokoshnik style –
a design made popular at the court of the Tsars in the 19th century
and based on traditional headdresses in rural Russia.

The Queen wore the diadem with an all diamond necklace shaped as
a serpent that she inherited from one of her grandmothers, most
likely Sonia Keppel.

However, it is Margaret Greville who is getting all the royal
headlines this week as her legacy continues to sparkle over 80
years after her death.