Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee Fashion: Royal Procession Through London

Queen Elizabeth II waves as she departs St. Paul's Cathedral
June 5, 2012 Thanksgiving Service
Photo Source: Grazia Daily

Last night, I imagined the Queen's processional gown hanging on a hook in her bedroom, awaiting her morning fitting. As I fell asleep, Her Royal Majesty’s attire remained a mystery, the revelation of which I eagerly anticipated waking up to on this day's celebrations. At the writing of this post the merrymaking is long over, having passed while I dreamed of diamond tiaras and a happy Queen waving to her beloved people.

For now, it is my job to capture my view of her beautiful outfit and the jewelry she wore. In keeping with tradition, her the morning celebrations began with a Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The day ended with the pinnacle event: Her Royal Majesty's procession through the City of London in an open carriage.

What a beautiful picture Her Royal Majesty made in her mint green tulle dress, embellished with dainty embroidered star-shaped flowers and silver thread. A stunning design by Angela Kelly, the dress features a mint chiffon scarf, sprinkled with Swarovski crystals, which elegantly cascades off her shoulders. Her smart hat echoes the same motif as the dress, complete with star-shaped flowers, silver embroidery, and Swarovski crystals dusting the mint chiffon accent.

Upon her departure from the religious service, she waved her signature stately wave, sporting her practical black purse and shoes, her beautiful pearl necklace with matching pearl-and-diamond button earrings, and the magnificent Cullinan III and IV brooch.

She received the necklace, a triple strand of white pearls, in 1935, as a gift from her grandfather, King George V, during his Silver Jubilee. The Cullinan diamonds were cut from one astonishing diamond weighing in at 3,106 carats (1-1/3 pounds).

The Cullinan IV diamond serves as the upper portion of this fantastic brooch. This cushion cut diamond weighs 63.60 carats and was originally mounted in Queen Mary’s crown. It was cleverly designed to be taken out and used to form this brooch with its sister, the Cullinan III diamond. With a hefty weight of 94.40 carats, the Cullinan III diamond is the pear-shaped drop diamond forming the lower portion of the brooch worn by Her Royal Majesty for today’s Diamond Jubilee festivities.

The Cullinan III and IV are referred to as "Granny's Chips," and this brooch was passed on to HRM Elizabeth II by her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck, in 1953. When this brooch lies in state in the Tower of London, it serves as the finial piece in Queen Mary’s Crown. These two diamonds can also be worn together in similar fashion as a pendant on a necklace.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Official Website of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, The. "5 June Events Announced." Accessed June 4, 2012. http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/5-june-events-announced.
2. Official Website of The British Monarchy, The. "Announcement of Diamond Jubilee events taking place on 5 June 2012." Accessed June 4, 2012. http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2012/AnnouncementofDiamondJubileeeventstakingplaceon5Ju.aspx.
3. Marilyn's Royal Blog. "Question: The Queen's Pearls." Posted May 09, 2007. Accessed June 5, 2012. http://marilynsroyalblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/question-queens-pearls.html.
4. Vince, Jessica. "Kate Middleton in Alexander McQueen Dress and Jane Taylor Hat for Jubilee Service." Grazia Daily, June 5, 2012. Accessed June 5, 2012. http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/fashion/archive/2012/06/05/royal-repeats--kate-middleton-wears-alexander-mcqueen--the-queen-wears-angela-ke.htm.
5. World of Famous Diamonds, The. "The Cullinan." Accessed June 5, 2012. http://famousdiamonds.tripod.com/cullinandiamonds.html.
6. Internet Stones. "Cullinan Diamond." Accessed June 5, 2012. http://www.internetstones.com/cullinan-diamond-famous-jewelry.html.

*Clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

A Jubilee Procession

The Royal Procession Passing Over London Bridge, 20 June 1897
Reproduction of Helen Thornycroft's painting
Photo Source: Art-ist

Today in the news, I read about a Jubilee Rock Concert scheduled for today in celebration of Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as monarch. The lineup of rock musicians features primarily British artists, including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, and Dame Shirley Bassey. However, there are a few Americans artists included in the lineup, as well: Stevie Wonder and will.i.am. These celebrations have been in the making for several years now across the British Commonwealth.

The last time these preparations were being made was in January 1897, when in answer to her customary prayer to be of use to her country, it was decided that the Empire would celebrate a grand festival in honor of Queen Victoria's 60 years as queen, a feat no other British monarch had achieved. She agreed to the celebration, though because of her weakened health she requested that her public appearance be restricted to one day of public festivities, June 22, 1897.

With only five months of planning, Queen Victoria commenced the day with a special family Thanksgiving service held on June 20, 1897, in St. George's Chapel. The service included the singing of Prince Albert'sTe Deum and Bishop How's Jubilee hymn (musically arranged by Sir Arthur Sullivan).

The entire British Empire scheduled Jubilee services at 11 o’clock in every chapel, synagogue, and church across the empire. Can you imagine standing on the streets of London at 11 o’clock that morning? While it certainly was no rock concert, surely the sounds of the bells and voices lifted in celebration and thanksgiving would have been a wonder to behold!

Later that day, Queen Victoria took up her procession through the streets of London, with even the sun making an appearance just as the guns in Hyde Park broadcast her departure from Windsor Palace.

In her own words, Victoria declared: “No one ever, I believe, has met with such an ovation as was given to me, passing through those six miles of streets…the crowds were quite indescribable, and their enthusiasm truly marvellous and deeply touching. The cheering was quite deafening, and every face seemed to be filled with real joy.”

I do hope that Queen Elizabeth II has this very same experience this weekend. There is nothing quite like the joy of love, honor, and appreciation for a public life lived well.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Barr, Robert. "Queen's Jubilee: Rock concert at Buckingham Palace." Associated Press. Last Modified June 4, 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/queens-jubilee-rock-concert-buckingham-palace-110146194.html.
2. Longford, Elizabeth. Queen Victoria: Born to Succeed. New York and Evanston: Harper & Row, 1964.

*Victorian clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Diamonds

Queen Victoria portrait for Diamond Jubilee, 1897
Photo Source: The Telegraph

In the official portrait for her Diamond Jubilee, Queen Victoria sits regally, wearing a black silk dress fashioned with panels of grey satin and black net accented by silver embroidery. The skirt of the dress is nearly completely shrouded in a beautiful white or gray lace. In this portrait she wears a delicate crown with alternating cross pattee and fleur-di-lis, in similar fashion to the George IV diadem.

The entire crown is paved in diamonds and features larger diamonds that appear to float around the perimeter of the band. Rising from the cross pattee, diamond-paved arches meet in the middle beneath a diamond paved monde, with a central cross pattee sitting in state atop the monde. It appears in her portrait that the arches and central cross pattee were removed (or they had not yet been placed), as she wears the simple circlet upon her head.

In addition to the dainty yet majestic crown, Victoria wears a stunning diamond necklace with matching diamond earrings. The Queen had this necklace made in replication of Queen Charlotte’s necklace, ordered to be returned to the Hanoverian family in 1858.

In order to complete the piece, she requested the Royal Jewelers to remove twenty-eight diamonds from a sword hilt and a couple of Garter badges. Each of the diamonds was set in a collet, a coronet-shaped claw that holds an individual stone. The pendant stone on this striking replica is the famous Lahore Diamond, which also served as the central pendant on the Timur Ruby Necklace.

The Queen's earrings were made in the fashion of the day, with a large brilliant cut diamond against the ear and a smaller brilliant just below it. The two large pear-shaped drop diamonds were also “borrowed” from the Timur Ruby necklace. These beautiful diamonds were originally set as side stones in the Koh-i-Nur armlet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. The Free Dictionary by Farlex. "Collet." Accessed May 29, 2012. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/collet.
2. The Royal Collection. "Queen Victoria's diamond necklace and drop earrings." Accessed May 29, 2012. www.royalcollection.org.uk.
3. Penhorwood, Claire. "Victoria and Elizabeth: A tale of 2 Diamond Jubilees." CBCnews World. Last modified May 28, 2012. Accessed May 29, 2012. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/05/25/f-diamond-jubilees-victoria-elizabeth.html.
4. Hughes, Kristine and Victoria Hinshaw. "The Longest Reigning Monarchs." Number One London Blog. Posted May 19, 2012. Accessed May 29, 2012. http://onelondonone.blogspot.com/2012/05/longest-reigning-monarchs.html.
5. Queen's 60 Diamond Jubilee. "The Royal Collection." Accessed May 29, 2012. http://www.thediamondjubilee.org/diamond-jubilee-exhibitions.

*Victorian clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

History of the Diamond Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II, 2012
Diamond Jubilee Portrait Sitting
Photography by John Swannell
Photo Source: The Telegraph

Jewelry history is unfolding as we speak. Even now, preparations are being made all over Britain for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebration.

This year's Diamond Jubilee marks the 60^th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. She will be the second monarch to have served the British Empire long enough to celebrate this most exciting of festivals.

England’s last Diamond Jubilee took place in June of 1897, in honor of England’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Victoria, who served her ‘beloved people’ for 64 years. In a time when European monarchs were rising and falling as steadily as the North Atlantic tide, September 23, 1896 dawned as a stunning moment in Queen Victoria’s life.

She had surpassed her grandfather, George III, as the longest-reigning monarch. Just nine months later, on June 16, 1897, she arrived in Windsor Castle to make preparations for the grand celebration of her Diamond Jubilee.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Rappaport, Helen. Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion. Oxford: ABC-CLIO, 2003.
2. Menkes, Suzy. "The Queen of Diamonds." The New York Times Online. Published May 28, 2012. Accessed May 29, 2012. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/fashion/queens-diamonds-play-a-role-in-the-diamond-jubilee.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1338314736-k3ET7WQmuBTBwLtVYe8REA.

*Victorian clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

The Royal Scepter

Queen Elizabeth II in full regalia, holding the Royal Scepter
Photo Source: Royal Splendor Blog

Now on permanent display at the Tower of London, the Royal Scepter (Scepter with the Cross) was made in 1661, for the coronation of Charles II. Symbolizing the power and justice of the monarch, this exquisite piece was redesigned in 1910, to accommodate the Cullinan I diamond.
Held in the left hand of the monarch during the crowning and procession, the scepter is a three-foot twisted rod fashioned out of gold from which rises the Cullinan I diamond encased in a jeweled gold mounting.

Atop this mounting rests a gemstone-encrusted girdle surrounding a faceted amethyst orb upon which rests a diamond-studded cross pattee, displaying a large emerald as a centerpiece. Clasps in the mounting allow the brilliant diamond to be worn by the queen as a brooch.

On June 28, 1838, Queen Victoria departed from the altar of Westminster Abbey and entered St. Edward’s Chapel. Shedding the heavy regalia robes, she took her place upon St. Edward’s Chair. In this regal seat, the priest consecrated her as sovereign, anointed her with holy oil, and handed her the royal scepter, the orb, and the ruby coronation ring, the three most prestigious and weighty symbols of office.

After receiving communion at the altar, she was shrouded in the mantle of state (a great robe). She proceeded from the abbey, orb and royal scepter in hand, for the carriage ride back to Buckingham Palace. It is reported that her first task after that five-hour event was to rush upstairs to greet and bathe her dog, Dash.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Rush, Kim. "The Symbols of Sovereignty: The Objects Held by the Sovereign During a Coronation." UK/Irish History @ Suite 101. Posted July 21, 2009. Accessed May 28, 2012. http://suite101.com/article/the-symbols-of-sovereignty-a133405.
2. Cristina. "The Cullinan I--The Star of Africa Diamond." The Jewelry Blog. Accessed May 28, 2012. http://www.jewelrybloguncovered.com/diamonds/the-cullinan-i-the-star-of-africa-diamond/.
3. The Faded Star of Africa. "The Diamond." Accessed May 28, 2012. http://starafrica.co.za/diamond.htm.

*Clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

A History of St. Edward's Crown

Rufus Sewell playing Charles II at his coronation
Photo Source: h2g2

Not to be confused with St. Edward’s Sapphire, St. Edward’s Crown is the foundational piece of the Crown Regalia (coronation jewels). It is believed that the crown that inspired its design (which bears the same name) was used in 1043 for the coronation of Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

Some sources describe the original crown as a gold diadem circlet adorned with small stones and two bells. It was likely among the royal collection which was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1649; however, there is some speculation that gold from Edward the Confessor's crown was somehow preserved and used in the new St. Edward's Crown.

In 1830, Thomas Robson wrote a book of heraldic definitions called The British Herald, Volume III, in which he documents the history of what he termed the Crown, Royal. According to Robson, the Saxons were the first documented monarchs to use crowns, which were simple circlets of gold. It seems to this historian that the Crown Royal of Robson's day is the same crown the British Court calls St. Edward's Crown.

Made by Sir Robert Vyner for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, St. Edward's Crown was originally set with imitation pearls and paste (glass cut so as to imitate gemstones). These imitations are still used in the crown when it lies in state in the Tower of London. However, they are replaced by the Royal Jewelers with the true gemstones when the crown is used for the coronation of a new monarch.

Throughout the 1800s, the Imperial State Crown served as the crown of choice for the coronations of George IV, William IV, Queen Victoria, and Edward VII. During this time, St. Edward’s Crown was carried as a symbolic object during the procession to Westminster Abbey.

Beginning with the coronation of King George V, St. Edward’s Crown once again became the crown of choice to coronate the new monarch. Every sovereign since then has been crowned with this regal and heavy crown.

When not in use, St. Edward’s Crown holds court in the Tower of London among the other pieces of the British Crown Regalia. It will make its next grand appearance at the crowning of the Prince of Wales, at a date which no one wants to think about just yet. Long live the Queen!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Official Website of The British Monarchy, The. "The Crown Jewels." Accessed May 28, 2012. http://www.royal.gov.uk/.
2. Rush, Kim. "St. Edward's Crown." UK/Irish History @ Suite101. Posted July 17, 2009. Accessed May 28, 2012. http://suite101.com/article/st-edwards-crown-a132758.
3. Jewelry Gems About. "British Crown Jewels." Accessed May 28, 2012. http://www.jewelrygemsabout.com/gem-history/british-crown-jewels.html.
4. Robson, Thomas. The British Herald; or, Cabinet of armorial bearings of the Nobility. Sunderland: Turner & Marwood, 1830.

*Victorian clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

St. Edward’s Crown: An Introduction

St. Edward's Crown, worn by Queen Elizabeth II
Photo Source: For English Fans Blog

Lined with the purple velvet ‘Cap of State’, St. Edward’s Crown, made by Sir Robert Vyner for the coronation of Charles II, is a gold circlet edged in silver pearls and set with approximately sixteen large semi-precious gems outlined in clusters of diamonds.

Four gold cross pattee and four gold fleurs-de-lis emerge from the rim of the crown. Rising from the tops of the crosses, two complete arches of gold cross each other beneath the gold monde.

Symbolizing the independent sovereignty of the monarch, these jeweled arches are lined with silver pearls and adorned with gemstone clusters across the length of each arch. At the pinnacle of the crown rests a final cross pattee, ornamented with diamonds and other gemstones. Two silver tear-drop pearls hang delicately from the crossbeam of the cross pattee, and a single spherical pearl rests upon the very top of the cross.

In total, there are 444 precious and semi-precious gems in this crown, which weighs over four pounds (2.23 kg). When the crown was remade for George V, jewelers replaced worn pearls with rows of gold spheres and added new gemstones, including green tourmalines, topazes, aquamarines, amethysts, and rock crystals. The crown was last used to crown the current sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Pam Pearce. “Glimpses of the Crown Jewels: A Talk by Alan Jobbins,” Sussex Mineral and Lapidary Society Journal, 208 (July/August 2007), http://www.sussexmineralandlapidarysociety.org.uk/smlsjrnl.htm.
2. Kim Rush, “St. Edward’s Crown: Britain’s Coronation Crown,” UK/Irish History @ Suite 101 (July 17, 2009), accessed May 9, 2012, http://kim-rush.suite101.com/st-edwards-crown-a132758.
3. “St. Edward’s Crown,” London Online, accessed May 9, 2012, http://www.londononline.co.uk/monarchy/St_Edwards_Crown/.
4. “British Crown Jewels,” Jewelry Gems About, accessed May 9, 2012, http://www.jewelrygemsabout.com/gem-history/british-crown-jewels.html.

*Victorian clip art courtesy of The Graphics Fairy