The Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara was originally commissioned by Queen Mary after the succession of her husband, King George V, in 1910. The Gloucester Honeysuckle repurposed the diamonds previously used in Queen Mary’s wedding gifts – the Ladies of England Tiara and the Surrey Fringe Tiara. So significant was the Tiara that it once bore the Cullinan V diamond, cut from the largest diamond ever found.
The Tiara was passed on to the Gloucesters after the wedding of Queen Mary’s son, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, to Lady Alice Montague Douglas Scott in 1935. The new Duchess wore the piece for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and it became a fast favourite for Princess Alice until she passed away in 2004 as the oldest ever member of the royal family.
Illustrious shoes to fill when it comes to a lifetime of royal duty, but a legacy that has been continued with grace by Birgitte, who has worn the Honeysuckle Tiara at numerous royal engagements, including the 1995 wedding of Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg to Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, and that American state visit in 2019. More recently, she wore it to honour President Macron of France at a dinner at the London Guildhall in 2025 – pairing the tiara with the same smart white ensemble as she wore for the Oman state visit this evening.
The Duchess of Gloucester also wore the tiara to host Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron for a dinner at the London Guildhall in 2025
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Indeed, the Oman state banquet has been a triumphant display of royal tiaras, with the Duchess of Gloucester proving that, when it comes to family heirlooms, she can more than hold her own. Queen Camilla wore the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, known as Queen Elizabeth II’s most popular tiara, because the late monarch wore it for more royal engagements than any other piece, and even posed with it for the portrait that was used on official British currency throughout her reign.