A new video has shown the fascinating way a tiara can be transformed into a necklace, by carefully dismantling the precious stones and removing them from their central structure. Charity Historic Royal Palaces, which looks after iconic attractions including Kensington Palace and Hampton Court, shared the video on their official Twitter page.
The tiara in question was one worn by Princess Louise, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The kokoshnik style was particularly fashionable in the late nineteenth century and continues to be popular today, with Princess Eugenie wearing the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, loaned to her by her grandmother the Queen, for her wedding last October.
Watch the tiara being made into a necklace
The caption on Twitter read: "Watch as the kokoshnik tiara is transformed into a necklace! This tiara was worn by Princess Louise, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Its design was in vogue in the late C19th. See the tiara at #KensingtonPalace. The #Victoria200 displays open on 24 May."
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Visitors to Kensington Palace will be able to see two new exhibitions dedicated to Queen Victoria, one detailing her childhood and the other showing the real woman behind the stern-faced monarch. The exhibitions celebrate the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth at Kensington Palace.
© Photo: Getty ImagesEugenie wore a beautiful emerald kokoshnik tiara
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While most tiaras are simply worn as headpieces, some can double up as necklaces, as the video shows. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark is particularly fond of one tiara she wore in 2016, which, the year before, she had chosen to wear as a statement necklace.
Other necklaces have actually been completely taken apart and formed into tiaras, such as the dainty Lotus Flower Tiara, which the Duchess of Cambridge wore to the Chinese state banquet in 2015. The necklace had belonged to the Queen Mother but was made into a tiara and later worn by her daughter Princess Margaret, before Kate.
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