Princess Margaret attends a reception at Mansion House in London on May 12, 1958 (PA Images/Alamy)Today is the 95th anniversary of the birth of Princess Margaret, the younger daughter of King George VI and the only sister of Queen Elizabeth II. In her honor, we’re devoting today’s space to a special tiara appearance from 1958, celebrating a successful Commonwealth tour.
Princess Margaret attends a reception at Mansion House in London on May 12, 1958 (PA Images/Alamy)
On May 12, 1958, Princess Margaret arrived at Mansion House to attend a special reception given in her honor by the Corporation of the City of London. The Lord Mayor and Lord Mayoress hosted the event, which celebrated Margaret’s return from her recent visit to the Caribbean.
Margaret’s tour, which spanned the end of April and the beginning of May in 1958, included visits to Trinidad, British Guiana (now Guyana), and British Honduras (now Belize), as well as brief stops on other islands, including Tobago and Jamaica. The tour was timed to coincide with the opening of the new parliament of the West Indies Federation, a political union of several Caribbean islands under the umbrella of the Commonwealth that existed from 1958 until 1962.
During the opening of parliament, held in the stiflingly hot legislative chamber of the Red House in Port of Spain, Margaret wore a gown, decorations, and the Lotus Flower Tiara as she read the Queen’s speech from the throne: “On this happy day when the inauguration of this legislature brings to completion the establishment of the Federation of the West Indies, I send my warmest greetings to all my people in these territories.”
Her white duchesse satin gown, made by Norman Hartnell, was described in the press as having “two broad bands of gold studded with ruby and sapphire stones embroidered [on] the skirt, with similar embroidery on the bodice.” The tiara, one of three she packed in her luggage for the trip, was described in detail by reporters: “The tiara with inverted diamond festoons and pearl spikes, which she wore for the first time to inaugurate the West Indies parliament, was loaned to her by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.”
Princess Margaret attends a state dinner at the official residence of the Governor General in Port of Spain on April 22, 1958 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
Later the same evening, Margaret attended a state dinner at the official residence of the new federation’s Governor General, Lord Hailes, in Port of Spain. She descended the staircase of Government House with her ladies in waiting, Lady Elizabeth Cavendish and the Hon. Iris Peake, wearing another gown with decorations and gala jewels. The gown was described as “powder blue” and “covered with blue and silver lace re-embroidered with silver, diamonds and sapphires.”
With the dress, Margaret wore the Royal Victorian Order and the Royal Family Orders of George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II. Her jewels included a sleek diamond and sapphire bandeau, paired with sapphire and diamond earrings and the Lady Mount Stephen Necklace. Newspapers described the tiara as a “broad diamond band, centered with a large sapphire” that was “also loaned to her by her mother,” adding that it “originally belonged to Queen Mary.” You can see more photographs of Margaret’s ensemble from the dinner in my earlier article on the event.
Sir Grantley Adams and Princess Margaret attend the West Indian Festival of Arts in Port of Spain on April 23, 1958 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
The festivities continued on the next night of the visit, which saw Margaret attending the opening of the West Indian Festival of Arts in Port of Spain. Here, she sits beside Sir Grantley Adams, the Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation, during the festival opening. The Evening Standard wrote that Margaret looked “extremely grand in a white satin billowing gown and her nicest tiara”—the Lotus Flower, worn for the second time on the trip.
There was also a third tiara event during Margaret’s visit to Trinidad: a reception at a country club in Port of Spain, hosted this time by Sir Edward Beetham, the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago. For the occasion, the princess wore a dress that was “bright pink, full skirted and plain except for her orders,” with her hair “fluffed into a souffle style with her tiara set well back among the curls.” The tiara in question was the Cartier Halo Tiara, which reporters described as “the delicate scroll circlet which she wore during the Coronation.”
Princess Margaret attends a concert at Queen’s College in Georgetown, Guyana on April 29, 1958 (Everett Collection/Alamy)
Princess Margaret also brought out her tiaras during her visit to Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana (now Guyana), a few days later. Here, she wears a strapless evening gown with a polka-dot print for a concert at Queen’s College, paired with the Lotus Flower Tiara, her diamond and pearl earrings, the Lady Mount Stephen Necklace, and her Cartier Rose Brooch—and a large feathered fan!
Princess Margaret attends a reception and garden party at Government House in Georgetown, Guyana on April 30, 1958 (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)
On a subsequent evening during the tour of British Guiana, Margaret wore Queen Mary’s Sapphire Bandeau with another billowing ballgown for a reception and garden party at Government House.
Before wrapping up the visit to Georgetown, Margaret attended a state dinner at Government House, followed by the Volunteer Force Regimental Ball. On that occasion, she repeated the gown she had worn for the parliamentary inauguration in Port of Spain. There’s no mention in the press of her tiara, but given the rhythm of her jewelry usage during the tour, it’s possible that she wore it for this occasion with the Cartier Halo Tiara.
Princess Margaret attends a state dinner at Government House in Belize City on May 5, 1958 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
Before returning home to London, Margaret became the first member of the royal family to visit British Honduras (now known as Belize). In Belize City, she made another sparkling appearance in the gown and jewels she had worn for the opening of the West Indian Festival of Arts a few days earlier, paired with the same decorations and jewels, including the Lotus Flower Tiara.
Princess Margaret, with the Hon. Iris Peake and Sir Denis Truscott, attends a reception at Mansion House in London on May 12, 1958 (PA Images/Alamy)
Back in Britain, a tanned, smiling Princess Margaret arrived at Mansion House for a banquet celebrating the success of her recent Caribbean tour. Accompanied by the Hon. Iris Peake—whose fascinating life, including her tenure with MI-6, deserves a good Google—Margaret again appeared in the Hartnell gown she had worn to open the new parliament in Port of Spain. For the London appearance, she draped a fur stole around her shoulders.
Princess Margaret attends a reception at Mansion House in London on May 12, 1958 (PA Images/Alamy)
She wore the star and sash of the Royal Victorian Order, secured by a diamond brooch at her shoulder, and a bracelet over her glove on her left wrist. This image from the reception also gives you a good view of her other decorations: the Royal Family Orders of George V, George VI, and Elizabeth II, plus the Order of the Crown of India.