𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Delhi Durbar Tiara

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ Her Majesty Queen Mary (1910 - 1946): The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1946 - 2002): The Queen was loaned the tiara from Her Majesty Queen Mary. The only time the Delhi Durbar Tiara was seen with the Queen was during her South Africa tour in 1947.  It remained in her possession until her death.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002 - 2005): The tiara was passed down to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when her mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother passed away in 2002, along with the rest of the Queen Mother’s jewels. 

♕ Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall (2005): The Duchess was loaned the tiara from her mother-in-law Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the Norwegian State Visit & also her first tiara appearance as a member of the British Royal Family. 

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor. The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary in 1911 by Garrad.

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed with remains of another tiara & some other smaller jewels - a tradition of Queen Mary when creating tiaras. The remains used were from a diadem tiara made for Queen Mary by Boucheron in 1901 after a visit to South Africa, when she had been given a present that consisted of diamonds from the De Beers Mine. The new Delhi Tiara was set in both platinum & gold but also had diamonds that formed lyres & s-scrolls that would overlap diamond festoons. The tiara is a complete circle that wraps around the head. The Delhi Durbar Tiara was originally set with 10 Cabochon Emerald Drops that are located on top of the tiara. These emeralds are a part of the famous Cambridge Emeralds set that once belonged to the grandmother of Queen Mary. Mary had acquire the emeralds after they were left to her late brother Prince Francis of Teck’s mistress Ellen (neé Constance) Needham. After Mary acquired the emeralds, they were used to create the tiara but were removed from the tiara in 1922. The emeralds were not sat aside though! The emeralds were used for the dangling emerald drops in the The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara or they are used for uprights on The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara left to The Duchess of Kent. The Cullinan III & IV Stones were used as temporary centerpieces of the tiara. The 94.4 carat pear-shaped Cullinan III stone was an upright in the top center & the 63.6 carat Cullinan IV stone was placed in the front center. The tiara could have the 2 stones that could be worn or could be worn with 1 stone. There is another centerpiece for the tiara, as no one has used the Cullinan stones since Queen Mary. This tiara went under minor changes before Queen Mary loaned the tiara to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. While the tiara has not made an appearance after 60 years in the vault, it made a new appearance with Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall for the Norwegian State Visit. This tiara has always seemed in medium size when past queens have worn it, but it’s actually very large in size. The tiara has a layered effect that is created by the festoons on top of the scrolls.

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1911: Her Majesty Queen Mary’s official portrait for the Coronation of her husband  His Majesty King George V. 2 Portraits of the Queen have been done wearing the tiara in 2 different styles: one portrait has the tiara with emeralds & the second portrait has the Cullinan Stones.

♕ 1947: South Africa Tour worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. 

♕ 2005: Norwegian State Visit worn by Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ In 1910, it was decided that the Crown Jewels were not allowed to leave the United Kingdom.

♕ Even though she had paid for her own hew crown his coronation, the Tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary. This meant that this tiara was not a part of the Crown Jewels. 

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II allowed The Delhi Durbar Tiara to be exhibited. After 60 years in the vault, the tiara would make a new appearance on a new member of the the royal family.

♕ When The Duchess of Cornwall was seen wearing the tiara in 2005, it caused quite a problem with the public. 3 Queen’s have been possession of this crown & now a duchess marrying a prince (who is the heir to the throne) for both their 2nd marriages? The public did not agree & did not like the way the tiara look as people believed it had been altered. The tiara was not altered at all & is still a circlet style tiara.