Today marks the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Mary (Mollie), Duchess of Buccleuch and Queensberry, who was born on this day in 1900! Married into one of Britain’s most illustrious and wealthiest noble families, the Duchess commended the spectacular jewellery collection of the Dukes of Buccleuch for almost four decades, headed by the magnificent two-centuries old Buccleuch Diamond Belt Tiara!
Buccleuch Diamond Belt Tiara | Duchess of Buccleuch’s Diamond Necklace | The Duchess of Buccleuch’s Tiaras
But first, lets learn about the Duchess! Born Vreda Esther Mary Lascelles, the daughter of Major William Frank Lascelles, great-grandson of Henry Lascelles, 2nd Earl of Harewood, and Lady Sybil Evelyn de Vere Beauclerk, daughter of the 10th Duke of St Albans, she married the then Earl of Dalkeith, son of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Margaret Bridgeman and brother of the Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, in 1921. The couple had three children: the Duchess of Northumberland, the 9th Duke of Buccleuch and 11th Duke of Queensberry, and Lady Gilmour, and after their accession to the Dukedom, resided between the family estates of Boughton House in Northamptonshire, Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway, and Bowhill in the Scottish Borders, and Eildon Hall. After rejecting Lady Ursula d’Abo, the Duchess tried to get her son and heir married to Princess Margaret, though he later married the model Jane McNeill . The Duchess mainly resided at Boughton, even after being widowed in 1973, where she passed away in 1993 at the age of 92, being buried among the ruins of Melrose Abbey.
Created in the 1840s, this spectacular Diamond Belt is the versatile heirloom of the Dukes of Buccleuch, which can also be worn as a Tiara while elements can be taken apart to be used as brooches.
The central element was worn by the 6th Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria, for the Wedding of Prince Carl of Denmark (later King Haakon VII of Norway) and Princess Maud of Wales in 1896, later adding a massive emerald for the Devonshire House Ball in 1897, and the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902.
The 8th Duchess notably wore the Diamond Belt as a Tiara for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elisabeth at Westminster Abbey in 1937, when the Duchess served as a Train Bearer during the Queen’s Anointing Ceremony. The Duchess wore the family’s massive Diamond Riviere and another Diamond Necklace for the Ceremony, but was photographed supposedly leaving the Abbey or Buckingham Palace without any necklaces, just wearing the Diamond Belt Tiara.
Later that year, the Duchess of Buccleuch wore the Diamond Belt Tiara for a spectacular series of portraits by Madame Yevonde which appeared in Tatler, when she also wore the massive Diamond Riviere, another Diamond Necklace across her bodice with a large diamond brooch on her shoulder, and large diamond drop earrings.
The Diamond Belt itself was worn by the 8th Duchess of Buccleuch for portrait taken by Cecil Beaton in the 1930s with the Buccleuch Emerald Tiara.
In 1953, the Duchess of Buccleuch wore the Diamond Belt Tiara with the Emerald Necklace at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, when Sir Henry “Chips” Channon famously wrote “Mollie Buccleuch has no postilions – but five tiaras.”
The Duchess also wore the Emerald Necklace and Earrings with the Diamond Belt Tiara for a portrait made around 1971.
In 2022, the Diamond Belt was among the Jewels on Display at the Sotheby’s Platinum Jubilee Exhibition: ‘Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras’, though I am unable to share my exclusive photo of the piece with its large diamonds and intricate design. It was my personal highlight among the dozens of spectacular Royal and Aristocratic Jewels on display.
Buccleuch Diamond Belt Tiara | Duchess of Buccleuch’s Diamond Necklace | The Duchess of Buccleuch’s Tiaras
Buccleuch Diamond Belt Tiara
Buccleuch Emerald Tiara
Buccleuch Mayflower Tiara
Buccleuch Turquoise Tiara
Buccleuch Pearl and Diamond Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Palmette Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Tiara
Devonshire Diamond Rivière
Devonshire Parure
Ruby Clasp
Craven Brooch
Insect Brooches
