Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who passed away on this day in 2004, at the age of 102! The daughter of the fabulously wealthy Duke of Buccleuch who married the third son of King George V and Queen Mary, the Duchess was the longest-lived member of the Royal Family, and possessed a fabulous collection of jewellery, which included the Gloucester Diamond Bandeau Tiara!
When Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester married Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott in 1935, he gifted the bride with a magnificent Art Deco Diamond Bandeau Tiara, as well as another Diamond Tiara, among a plethora of jewels, which included the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara and Teck Turquoise Tiara as well Diamond Corsage Brooch and Pearl and Emerald Suite. The central diamond element can be detached and worn as a brooch, as well as the two diamonds elements beside that, which are worn as diamond clips. The central element can also be replaced with another Art Deco Emerald and Diamond Brooch, complimented by a second set of diamond and emerald clips presented by the groom’s siblings.
The newlywed Duchess of Gloucester wore her versatile Diamond and Emerald Bandeau in its various formats over the late 1930s, usually for less formal Galas and Performances as well as for a few smaller Dinners.
From the 1950s, Princess Alice usually wore the Diamond Bandeau with an Emerald Necklace possibly inherited from Queen Mary, which was worn for the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1954, the Portuguese State Visit to Britain in 1955, and at a Reception given during the Shah of Iran and Queen Soraya’s visit to London in 1955, though appearances declined by the 1960s.
Before she passed on the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara and the Teck Turquoise Tiara, Princess Alice loaned the Diamond Bandeau to the newlywed current Duchess of Gloucester, which was worn with the Emerald Necklace for several of her initial Banquets and on a few occasions in the 1980s, among them the State Opening in 1987.
However, Princess Alice continued to wear her Emerald and Diamond Bandeau Tiara, usually with the Emerald Necklace, for Banquets and Galas through the 1970s and 1980s.
From the 1980s, the current Duchess of Gloucester has often worn the Art Deco Emerald and Diamond Clips from the Bandeau as Brooches, which have been worn on numerous occasions over the years, most recently with the the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara and Pearl and Emerald Suite, for the Guildhall Banquet during the South African State Visit to Britain in 2022.
The Clips have also been worn in an all Diamond format by the Duchess, and more notably by her daughter, Lady Rose, with the Iveagh Tiara for her Wedding to George Gillman in 2008.
However, the Emerald and Diamond Bandeau Tiara was not seen in several decades until being worn by the Duchess of Gloucester with the Emerald Necklace at the State Banquet for the South Korean President and First Lady in 2023. There is no doubt we will continue to see his Royal heirloom worn for years to come!
