Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
We have a very exciting discovery to share with you today! This week, I am in the Sultanate of Pahang to celebrate the Wedding of Prince Muhammad of Pahang, Tengku Arif Bendahara, the son of the Sultan of Pahang and Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah, and have discovered that Queen Azizah’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara is most probably Queen Mary’s lost Diamond Lozenge Bandeau!
A striking Diamond Bandeau composed of Diamond ‘Lozenges’ set within Diamond and Pearl motifs between a Diamond and Seed Pearl base and top row, the exact origin of this Tiara is unknown but it bears faint maker’s marks for Cartier and seems to date from the first half of the 1910s.
Queen Mary must have commissioned this Diamond Lozenge Bandeau shortly before or during the First World War, but seems to have been most notably worn topped with Pearls taken from either her Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara or the Lover’s Knot Tiara for the the Royal Film Premiere of ‘The Ghost Goes West’ at Leicester Square Theatre in London in 1935.
Queen Mary also wore the Diamond Lozenge Bandeau topped with Pearls for a Gala Performance of the Comedie Française at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1939.
In 1948, a freshly 18-year old Princess Margaret wore Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Bandeau as her first Tiara for a Gala ‘Sports Fantasy’ showcase at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam following the Inauguration of Queen Juliana of The Netherlands.
Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Bandeau was also worn by Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Bandeau during the Dutch State Visit to Britain in 1950 and during the Danish State Visit to Britain in 1951, and seems to have been an 18th Birthday Gift from Queen Mary.
Princess Margaret wore Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Bandeau on a few rare occasions into the 1960s, though it does not seem to have been publicly seem after that, leading many to assume it is in the British Royal Vaults. However, it would make sense that Princess Margaret would have discreetly sold the Diamond Lozenge Bandeau around the same time as Queen Mary’s Amethyst Tiara was sold in the late 70s or early 1980s, without any public notice. Though The Beau Monde and I noticed the similarity with a Bandeau belonging to the Queen of Pahang a few months ago, we decided to wait to ask for confirmation.
In 1988, Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand saw a Diamond Bandeau Tiara for sale in New York City and told the then Tengku Puan (Crown Princess) Azizah to buy the Tiara, which was soon shipped off to Malaysia.
Over the years, the Diamond Bandeau Tiara was worn by the then Crown Princess Azizah for numerous Ceremonies and Banquets, including one for the Birthday of late Sultan of Pahang.
In 2002, the Diamond Lozenge Bandeau Tiara was worn by Cik Puan (Princess) Julita Aisha binti Abdul Latif at her wedding to Tengku Abdul Rahman.
Queen Azizah shared a fascinating anecdote of the Diamond Bandeau Tiara being worn by her daughter Tengku Puteri Afzan for a Sports Day at School at a very young age. The Tiara was also worn by Tengku Puteri Jihan for the Wedding of Tengku Nurul Kamalia in 2008.
More recently, Tengku Puteri Jihan wore the Diamond Lozenge Bandeau for the Banquet held following the Installation of her parents as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and Raja Permaisuri Agong (Queen) of Malaysia for a five year-term in 2019.
Earlier this week, Tengku Natasya Puteri Tengku Adnan wore the Diamond Bandeau Tiara enhanced with four additional brooches for her Istiadat Berinai Ceremony at the Istana Abdul Aziz.
During the Ceremony, I mentioned my observation of the Diamond Bandeau being the one from Queen Mary to Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah and sent over some images, receiving some promising pictures of the Tiara in return. I went to the Palace last night, where the Queen and I have excitedly come upon the conclusion that her Diamond Bandeau must be the one from Queen Mary, as we cannot find any differences. In our excitement, the Tiara did drop and get slightly damaged but will soon be repaired, no doubt to be worn for years to come!
Please credit HM Queen Azizah of Pahang and Saad Salman/The Royal Watcher when sharing this discovery!