The Royal Jewels of Princess Alexandra; A History of Elegance and Grace

Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Honourable Lady Ogilvie, a beloved member of the British royal family, is admired not only for her grace and poise, but also for her exquisite jewellery collection. As the cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Alexandra has inherited and worn some of the most stunning pieces from the royal vaults, as well as personal treasures that reflect her refined taste and timeless elegance. So let's explore the most iconic jewellery of Princess Alexandra. Before we start, please support my channel by clicking like and subscribe buttons, and if you wish, you can support me via the Super Thanks button on YouTube. Princess Alexandra's Pearl and Diamond Necklace This elegant necklace, composed of two rows of diamonds suspending three pear-shaped pearls and two diamond pendants, remains shrouded in mystery regarding its exact origins. The necklace made its public debut in 1953, worn by a sixteen-year-old Princess Alexandra for the coronation of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth II. It was also immortalised in a series of striking portraits captured by Cecil Beaton. As Princess Alexandra matured and embraced her role as a full-time working royal, the Pearl and Diamond Necklace became a staple of her jewellery collection. Often paired with Queen Mary's Crochet Bandeau or the Kent Circle Bandeau, it graced numerous grand occasions, including the wedding gala of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy in 1955, her celebrated tour of Australia, and the French state visit to Britain in 1960. Princess Alexandra continued to showcase her exquisite Pearl and Diamond Necklace well into the early 1960s. However, after this period, the necklace seemingly disappeared from the public eye, and its subsequent fate remains a mystery. Empress Frederick's Pearl Brooch. The Pearl Corsage Brooch, an exquisite piece featuring an intricate diamond design crowned with a large round pearl, offers versatility with the option to suspend one, three or five pearls beneath it. Originally owned by Empress Frederick of Germany, the brooch was prominently featured in a series of portraits taken during the 1890s following her widowhood. After Empress Frederick's passing in 1901, the brooch was inherited by her daughter, Queen Sophia of Greece. Its whereabouts following Queen Sophia's death remain unclear, but by the mid-1950s, an identical Pearl Corsage Brooch began to appear in the jewellery collection of Princess Alexandra of Kent. A devoted and long-standing member of the British royal family, Princess Alexandra has worn the Pearl Corsage Brooch on numerous formal occasions throughout her remarkable career of over 65 years, cementing its place as one of her most enduring and elegant accessories. Ogilvy Tiara The Ogilvy Tiara, a wedding gift to Princess Alexandra of Kent from her husband, the Honourable Angus Ogilvy in 1963, is a graceful and versatile piece featuring delicate diamond floral motifs. Named in honour of its giver, the tiara is distinguished as the Ogilvy Tiara to avoid confusion with the early tiara, belonging to Angus Ogilvy's family. Initially, Princess Alexandra wore the tiara in its turquoise design, but it was soon adapted to allow for interchangeable elements, with pearls replacing the turquoise at the centre of the diamond flowers. By the early 1970s, the tiara underwent further modifications, incorporating sapphires, which Princess Alexandra frequently paired with her striking sapphire and diamond necklace. The tiara's enduring legacy continued into the next generation when Princess Alexandra's granddaughter, Flora Ogilvy, wore the Ogilvy Tiara during her religious wedding ceremony in September 2021, adding a modern chapter to this timeless heirloom's history. Golden Jubilee Necklace The necklace, characterised by clusters of diamonds encircling either pearls or turquoise, elegantly tapers toward a central cluster from which a pier-shaped pearl or turquoise pendant is suspended. Its design closely mirrors Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Necklace, albeit without the distinctive central crown motif. While some people note that this necklace was a wedding gift from the Honourable Angus Ogilvy to Princess Alexandra in 1963, originally featuring pearls, and later modified to include turquoise, there is speculation that the gift came a few years after the couple's wedding, with both pearl and turquoise elements being worn interchangeably. Princess Alexandra debuted the necklace in early 1967, with one of her earliest appearances wearing it being a gala event alongside Marlon Brando in January of that year. Throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the necklace, in both its pearl and turquoise configurations, became a staple in her jewellery collection, gracing everything from grand galas and state banquets to more understated engagements. In recent years, however, its appearances have grown increasingly rare. DIAMOND SHOKER In the late 1950s, Princess Alexandra began wearing an exquisite, tightly woven diamond bracelet of unknown origin. This intricate piece quickly became a favourite, prominently featured in a series of official portraits, and warmed to notable events such as a gala at the Nepalese embassy in 1960, and a ceremony granting independence to Nigeria that same year. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the diamond bracelet remained a cherished part of her jewellery collection. By the mid-1990s, however, the bracelet underwent a creative transformation. Princess Alexandra repurposed it into a choker by incorporating a multi-strand pearl bracelet to form the back portion. This innovative adaptation debuted at a gala dinner in 1995, and appeared in several official portraits. More recently, Princess Alexandra has continued to showcase the diamond choker's timeless appeal. She wore it with the Ogilvy Tiara at the Queen's Commonwealth Dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2018 and again during the American State Banquet in 2019. VLADIMIR EMERALD BROOCH This stunning emerald brooch features a captivating cabochon emerald encircled by shingling diamonds, with a detachable, pear-shaped cabochon emerald gracefully suspended below. It is believed to possibly originate from the renowned emerald necklace of Grand Duchess Vladimir. At one point, the brooch was owned by Princess Nicholas of Greece. Following Princess Nicholas' passing in 1957, the brooch was bequeathed to her youngest daughter, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Princess Marina wore the piece for numerous significant occasions. The brooch was later inherited by her daughter, Princess Alexandra of Kent, who initially wore it in its original form during the early 1970s. In a creative twist, Princess Alexandra reimagined the brooch, adapting it as the clasp for a pearl choker, which could be worn with or without the emerald pendant. Despite this transformation, the brooch retained its versatility and could still be worn in its traditional form. Princess Alexandra notably reverted to wearing it as a brooch for the wedding of her son, James Ogilvy, in 1988. SAPPHIRE NECKLACE Featuring a striking combination of antique sapphire and diamond clusters, linked by pavisette diamond scrolls adorned with larger sapphires and diamonds, the origins of this exquisite necklace remain unclear. However, it is believed to have been a gift to Princess Alexandra from her husband, the Honourable Angus Ogilvy, sometime in the late 1960s. Princess Alexandra first showcased the sapphire and diamond necklace during a gala in the early 1970s, pairing it with her Ogilvy tiara, which had been updated with sapphires to complement the necklace. This elegant combination became a hallmark look, notably worn at significant events such as the Queen's Silver Jubilee Gala at Covent Garden in 1977, where she further enhanced the ensemble with sapphire-adorned diamond frame earrings. That's it for today, thanks for watching. Please do not forget to support my channel by clicking like and subscribe buttons.