Happy Birthday to Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy, who turns 88 today! The only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, Princess Alexandra is the Queen’s only paternal female cousin and has worn some spectacular jewels over the past seven decades as a working royal, which includes this Diamond Flower Tiara!

Ogilvy Tiara | Diamond Flower Tiara | Pearl Circle Bandeau | Golden Jubilee Necklace | Pearl Corsage Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Pearl and Diamond Necklace | Diamond Choker | Sapphire Necklace | Emerald Brooch/Choker | Diamond Flower Earrings | Crochet Bandeau | City of London Fringe Tiara | Festoon Tiara

The provenance os the seven striking Diamond and Pearl Flowers is unknown but they might be among the jewels left to Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent by Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll in 1939. Beth on HRJ has presented credible evidence that the Flowers originally contained Turquoises and that Pearls were added later, though some shots make it seem like the pearls were present earlier as well.

Princess Marina seems to have worn two of the smaller the Diamond and Pearl Flowers on her hat for the Iranian State Visit to Britain in 1959.

The Diamond Flowers were put on a Tiara Frame to be worn by Princess Alexandra for an official portrait taken around her Tour of Australia in 1959, as well as for a Gala at some point in the late 1950s.

Princess Alexandra wore the Pearl and Diamond Flower Tiara on a couple of occasions during the Nigerian Independence Celebrations, where she represented the Queen, in 1960.

The Pearl and Diamond Flower Tiara was worn by Princess Alexandra for a Ball in Hong Kong in 1961, ahead of a visit to Japan.

The following year, Princess Alexandra wore the Pearl and Diamond Flower Tiara for Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard’s Silver Anniversary Gala in Amsterdam in 1962.

Two weeks later, the Pearl and Diamond Flower Tiara was worn by Princess Alexandra for the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece at the Royal Palace of Athens.

Just a few days later, Princess Alexandra wore the Pearl and Diamond Flower Tiara again for a Ball given by the Federation of British Industries at the City Hall in Stockholm, where she ended up losing Empress Frederik’s Pearl Corsage Brooch, which was later recovered and handed in by a Swedish Guest.

In 1963, the Diamond Flowers were incorporated into a Tiara with a design of a swirling diamond ribbon structure, which was the gift of the Hon. Angus Ogilvy, second son of the Earl and Countess of Airlie, ahead of his Wedding to Princess Alexandra, who was first pictured wearing the Tiara for her Wedding Ball hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle in 1963, which seems to have been set with Turquoises for the first few years.

By the late 60s, Princess Alexandra began wearing the Ogilvy Tiara set with pearls along with her Pearl Corsage Brooch and her Golden Jubilee Necklace.

In the early 1970s, the Ogilvy Tiara was again adopted to include Sapphires, which Princess Alexandra usually wore with a rather substantial Sapphire and Diamond Necklace.

Princess Alexandra also frequently wore the Turquoise version of the Tiara with the turquoise version of her Golden Jubilee Necklace.

 Princess Alexandra has continued to wear her Ogilvy Tiara for royal duties until her retirement in recent years, with it most recently being worn by her granddaughter, Flora Ogilvy, for her Religious Wedding Ceremony in September 2021.

Ogilvy Tiara | Diamond Flower Tiara | Pearl Circle Bandeau | Golden Jubilee Necklace | Pearl Corsage Brooch | Pearl Earrings | Pearl and Diamond Necklace | Diamond Choker | Sapphire Necklace | Emerald Brooch/Choker | Diamond Flower Earrings | Crochet Bandeau | City of London Fringe Tiara | Festoon Tiara

The Ogilvy Tiara