The most famous Duchess in the world recently turned 40. To celebrate the milestone, Italian photographer Paolo Roversi immortalised Kate in some photographic portraits. In an interview with Corriere, the Italian artist describes his experience photographing the Duchess, saying: " Initially the Duchess was apprehensive. Every day she is bombarded by photographers but she is not used to posing; knowing my photos with models she was a little fearful about facing a real session, which then took about four hours of work. But once we started it would be very easy, I reassured her. And so it was "
She was first portrayed wearing a red dress by designer Alexander MacQueen and earrings lent by Queen Elizabeth, while in the other black and white portraits she wears a white dress with a pair of earrings by Princess Diana.
The Ancient Tradition of Passing Down the Crown Jewels
Queen Elizabeth II's immense collection of jewels is considered a true heritage. As soon as it is declared that it has been mapped out, unique pieces of inestimable beauty that belonged to some great-great-great aunt or queens of the past and have been handed down to the present day with obsessive attention, come to light. They are not pret-a-porter jewels, they are kept in a secure vault-showroom and come to light only for official photos, banquets, events and receptions and, it seems, they are polished with a mixture of water and gin. Just like the occasions we will talk about in this article. It is up to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to dispose of and give the jewels to members of the family, but it is very clear that the special attention given to Kate is a sign of trust and a gesture that outlines her figure as a member of the utmost importance of the British Monarchy.
The Cambridge Lover's Knot: England's Most Famous Tiara
Perhaps one of the most famous crown jewels is the Cambridge Lover's Knot: the tiara, made famous by Diana, originally owned by Queen Mary and commissioned in 1913 by Garrard, is the replica of a tiara of Princess Augusta of Hesse, who, by virtue of her marriage, became the Duchess of Cambridge. In 1953 it passed into the hands of Elizabeth and in turn was inherited by Diana as a wedding gift. Since 1996, the year in which Charles divorced Diana, the tiara remained in the depths of the royal palace until 2015 when Elizabeth herself asked Kate, the new Duchess of Cambridge, to make it shine again during a reception at Buckingham Palace. A tiara with 19 diamond arches, each enclosing a shower pearl, and topped with a diamond bow and teardrop pearl tips. All this jewel-architecture symbolizes the knots of love: a decoration of Celtic origin and taken from the Georgian style typical of the historical moment in which it was created.
The Diamond Necklace of the Nizam of Hyderabad
Another iconic jewel is the Nizam of Hyderabad's necklace. Considered the most expensive jewel in the world (about 66 million pounds), this diamond necklace is the engagement gift of the ruler of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah VII, to Elizabeth II.
The necklace is composed of a pavé with a central double drop pendant that incorporates 13 emerald-cut diamonds and a pear-cut drop diamond. The chain is instead formed by a series of clamps always bearing brilliant-cut diamonds and an oval snap hook with a set of brilliants. A total of 50 diamonds set in a platinum necklace made by Cartier in the early 1900s. The Queen, in 2014, gave it to Kate for the gala of the National Portrait Gallery, an institution of which the Duchess of Cambridge is patron.
This loan is a clear symbol: Kate Middleton is being given a sort of investiture with an eye to the future.
The Greville Bequest: Ruby Floral Necklace
Among all these loans and bequests we cannot fail to mention a floral necklace of rubies and diamonds commissioned from the famous Boucheron house in 1907. This jewel is part of the Greville collection, a bequest received by Queen Mother Elizabeth from Margaret Greville, precisely. But who was this aristocrat and why did these jewels cause such a stir? Margaret Greville, born Margaret Helen Anderson, was the daughter of Helen Anderson and William McEwan, a rich owner of a brewery in Edinburgh. The scandalous relationship was creating more than one problem for poor Helen, so an employee of MacEwan, a certain William Murray Anderson, took charge of the family, after Margaret's arrival, until in 1885 the two lovers were able to marry with everyone's approval. With the family status, at that point settled, and with her father's money, Maggie tried to climb the English aristocracy, managing to marry, in 1891, the future member of Parliament: Ronald Greville. Ronnie was so well-connected with the English aristocracy that he was a close friend of the then Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, the future Edward VII. Maggie lived in sumptuous homes, between bon-ton parties and more lively evenings made of clandestine love affairs (such as that of Edward VII with Alice Keppel - future great-grandmother of Camilla Parker Bowles) until Ronnie's premature death struck her in 1908. But Maggie was not discouraged, after two years of strict mourning, the widow returned to the limelight, starting to collect royals and jewels. Her most famous treasure chest, a black tin box crammed with jewels is her most famous legacy. It is said that it contained pieces that belonged to Marie Antoinette, Josephine Bonaparte and Catherine the Great. However, she became a regular visitor to Boucheron and Cartier, both jewelry houses already very famous at the time. Since he never had any children, when the socialite passed away in 1942, the infamous box was delivered to King George VI's wife, Elizabeth, with a laconic note that simply read: “With Love.”
This is how the Greville Bequest came into contact with the royal family. It is not yet clear how many pieces were left, it is even rumored that the jewels could potentially be infinite, but, one piece, among all, has been brought to light several times by both Elizabeth II and Duchess Kate: a floral necklace of rubies and diamonds commissioned from Boucheron in 1907.
