Coke Diamond Necklace | The Royal Watcher

Happy Birthday to Lady Glenconner, who celebrates her 93rd Birthday today! The daughter of the 5th Earl and Countess of Leicester who was a Maid-of-Honour at the Queen’s Coronation, and married the eccentric Baron Glenconner who developed Mustique, later becoming Princess Margaret’s Lady-in-Waiting, and now a bestselling Author, Lady Glenconner has lived a varied life, often wearing spectacular jewels, which include the magnificent Coke Diamond Necklace!

Glenconner Tiara | Coke Diamond Necklace | Diamond Bow Brooch | Diamond Earrings | Leicester Tiara

The magnificent Victorian Diamond Fringe Necklace is an heirloom of the Coke Family, the Earls of Leicester, likely dating to the time of the 3rd Countess of Leicester.

However, due to the changing fashions and lack of photographs, the Coke Necklace was not pictured until the 5th Countess of Leicester became a Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Queen, and was photographed in the Necklace and Leicester Tiara by Cecil Beaton, and also wore it to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, where her daughter, Lady Anne, was a Maid of Honour, in addition to several Coronation Galas and Balls.

When Lady Anne Coke married the future Baron Glenconner in 1956, she wore the historic Coke Necklace paired with a pair of striking Antique Diamond Earrings, which were likely among her Wedding Gifts.

As a Lady-in-Waiting, the Countess of Leicester joined the Queen for Gala Performances and Banquets, like for the Portuguese State Visit in 1955, and also joined the Queen on State Visits abroad, like the State Visit to Germany in 1965, which included many occasions to wear the historic Coke Necklace with the Leicester Tiara.

The Countess of Leicester also wore the Chaumet Tiara and the Coke Necklace at numerous family occasions, like the Coming Out Ball of her younger daughter, Lady Sarah, in 1962.

In contrast to other Ladies-in-Waiting like the Duchess of Grafton or Lady Susan Hussey, the Countess rarely accompanied the Queen to the State Opening of Parliament. Notable exceptions were in 1964 and for the State Opening in 1970, when the Countess wore the Chaumet Diamond Tiara with the Coke Necklace when she joined the Queen.

The Coke Necklace has not been worn or photographed in recent years, and presumably remains in the family’s possession, but did become major plot point in Lady Glenconner’s second novel, A Haunting at Holkham, where the mysterious disappearance of the Necklace and its rediscovery are linked to a series of murders within the family and staff at Holkham.

My grandfather died in the summer of 1949, falling down the stairs into the cellar. No diamond necklace, false or otherwise, was found in his pocket. The Coke necklace is real, however, and I wore it on my wedding day.

Glenconner Tiara | Coke Diamond Necklace | Diamond Bow Brooch | Diamond Earrings | Leicester Tiara

Glenconner Tiara