The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Queen’s American State Visit Tiaras

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Ricardo Thomas/Ford Presidential Library/NARA/Wikimedia Commons

Today, the Queen welcomes the American President and First Lady for the eighth formal British-US state visit of her lengthy reign. Ahead of this evening’s state banquet, here’s a look at the tiaras she has worn for state dinners over the years.

Everett Collection/Alamy

In October 1957, the Queen made her first state visit to the United States. (She’d visited previously, including significant visits during her father’s reign, but this was the first official state visit of her own reign.) Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower hosted a state dinner at the White House in her honor on October 17. For the dinner, the Queen wore the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara with an unusual combination of jewels, including the Gloucester Pendant Earrings and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace. The Associated Press reported that Elizabeth wore Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik for the occasion, which makes me wonder if there was a last-minute jewel switch, after the palace had already provided notes to the press. (Alexandra’s tiara was indeed in her luggage — she wore it in Canada during an earlier leg of the same overseas trip.)

NARA/Wikimedia Commons

The Queen really did wear Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik at the next US-UK state dinner, which took place in July 1976 in Washington. Gerald and Betty Ford hosted the Queen for dinner at the White House on July 7, and she wore the tiara with the Greville Chandelier Earrings and her own Diamond Festoon Necklace. (This visit was coordinated with the celebration of the US Bicentennial, and the Queen gave Betty Ford a fascinating brooch to mark the occasion. Learn more about it here!)

Department of Defense/Wikimedia Commons

In 1983, the Queen made a state visit to another part of the US: California. Ronald and Nancy Reagan hosted a state dinner for her on March 3 at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. For the occasion, the Queen wore the pearl setting of the Vladimir Tiara, as well as two jewels she’d worn in America previously: the Gloucester Pendant Earrings and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace.

Bush Presidential Library/NARA/Wikimedia Commons

Almost a decade later, in 1991, the Queen made her way back to Washington for a state visit. George H.W. and Barbara Bush hosted a state dinner for her on May 14 at the White House. For the occasion, the Queen selected a sentimental set of jewelry: the King George VI Sapphire Suite. She paired the set with the Belgian Sapphire Tiara.

JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images

The Queen hosted an American president in London for an official state visit for the first time in November 2003. A state banquet was given at Buckingham Palace in honor of George W. and Laura Bush on November 19. The Queen wore Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik with Queen Mary’s Diamond Drop Earrings, her Modern Diamond Fringe Necklace, and her Diamond Wedding Gift Bracelet.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

The Queen’s most recent state visit to the United States happened in May 2007. On May 7, she was feted at a state dinner at the White House, hosted by George W. and Laura Bush. She wore the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara with Queen Mary’s Diamond Drop Earrings, her own Diamond Festoon Necklace, and Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Brooch for the dinner.

AFP/Getty Images

The most recent UK-US state visit happened in May 2011, when Barack and Michelle Obama traveled to London. She hosted a state banquet in their honor at Buckingham Palace on May 24. She wore the pearl setting of the Vladimir Tiara with Queen Victoria’s Pearl Drop Earrings and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace for the occasion, as well as her Pearl Evening Watch and Queen Mary’s Five-Stranded Pearl Bracelet. You’ll also spot an important brooch securing her sash: the Teck Emperor of Austria Brooch.

Please note: As always, this website is not a place for discussion of contemporary American politics. Please respect my wishes and restrict your comments to the jewels pictured in this post.

The Dutch Diamond and Pearl Devant de Corsage

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Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

Today’s royal brooch post is an absolute whopper! As we begin our annual June exploration of magnificent royal pearls, we’ve got a closer look today at the grand diamond and pearl devant de corsage from the Dutch royal vaults.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

The corsage ornament (or, as they’re sometimes called, stomacher) was made in the early nineteenth century. The piece features a large diamond bow from which a pearl pendant is suspended. A diamond-studded chain also hangs from the brooch, supporting a smaller diamond bow brooch and a pair of additional pearl pendants. The jewel contains several rare pink diamonds.

Wikimedia Commons

The first recorded wearer of the devant de corsage was Sophie of Württemberg, the German princess who married King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1839. You can spot the jewel pinned to the bodice of her gown in the portrait above, which dates to the late 1830s or early 1840s. Sophie’s mother was Grand Duchess Catharina Pavlovna of Russia, and many think that the stomacher may have originally belonged to her. Some even call this piece the “Russian Brooch.”

Atelier J. Merkelbach/Wikimedia Commons

After Queen Sophie’s death, the devant de corsage remained with the Dutch royals. It was eventually inherited by Queen Wilhelmina, the only child of King Willem III’s second marriage. She chose the ornament for a series of portraits taken at the time of her abdication. You’ll see it pinned to her gown above. You’ll also note that, in Wilhelmina’s portrait, the two pearl pendants at the bottom of the jewel (as well as in Queen Sophie’s portrait) are attached so that they hang as negligee pendants. (For a refresher on what that term means in the jewelry world, head over here!)

Wim van Rossem/Anefo/Nationaal Archief/Wikimedia Commons

The brooch was worn in the same configuration by Queen Juliana, who loved jewelry and wore this piece numerous times. Above, she wears the ornament for a gala dinner at the Austrian Embassy in May 1961.

Robin Utrecht – Pool/Getty Images

As is the case with most of these grand jewels, the different sections can be detached and worn in various configurations. Princess Beatrix often wore the larger bow alone with a trio of pearl pendants (or, on occasion, with three diamond drops). She chose this version of the ornament for the dinner held in Amsterdam on the night before her abdication in April 2013.

Michel Porro/Getty Images

Queen Maxima has also worn the brooch on multiple occasions. Above, she pairs the piece with the Antique Pearl Tiara during the state visit from China to the Netherlands in March 2014. The occasion was a significant one: it was the first incoming state visit of her husband’s reign.

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

More recently, Maxima wore the grand ornament for the annual gala diner for the Diplomatic Corps held in April 2019. (See all the jewels from the gala here!)

Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

She also paired the devant de corsage with the Antique Pearl Tiara for the diplomatic gala. (Learn more about the tiara here!)