Queen Camilla made a surprise fashion statement at this year’s Diplomatic Corps reception, choosing the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara for the annual white tie event. The tiara, made of rose-cut pave diamonds set in platinum with seven unmissable cabochon emeralds, had only been worn once before by a member of the royal family, during Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank. Given the current scandal surrounding the York family, this fashion moment was a show of solidarity between the Queen and the princess.
The Queen’s subtle support of her niece may have raised eyebrows, but the estimated cost of the Greville Kokoshnik tiara is eye-watering. Maxwell Stone, a leading diamond expert at UK jeweler Steven Stone, reported, “we previously estimated the distinctive diamond and emerald headpiece––made by the French jeweller, Boucheron in 1919––to be worth £10 million, making it the most expensive of all the tiaras we’ve studied.”
