The Princess Royal celebrates her 75th Birthday next week! The only daughter of the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and one of the most hardworking members of the family, Princess Anne has amassed quite a large jewellery collection, which includes this Pakistani Turquoise Necklace!
In 1966, the Queen received a two-row Turquoise, Seed Pearl, and Gold Necklace, a traditional South Asian ‘Dolada Haar’, from Pakistani President Ayub Khan on his Official Visit to Britain.
The Queen notably wore the Pakistan Turquoise Necklace with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara at a Return Gala Performance during the President’s Official Visit in 1966.
A few years later, the Queen shortened the necklace to a single row, reconfiguring the pendants and making a pair of earrings with an extra pendant, which were given to Princess Anne.
According to Leslie Fields the necklace was later shortened by removing the longer row and adding it’s pendants to the shorter row so they completely circle the necklace. A pair of earrings was made out of the extra pendant.
Princess Anne wore the Pakistani Turquoise Necklace on numerous occasions in the 1970s, among them the 1974 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The Pakistani Turquoise Necklace was also worn by Princess Anne for a a dinner hosted by the National Executive Committee of the Standing Conference of Pakistani Organisations in the United Kingdom in 1977, among other occasions.
Another notable appearance of the Pakistani Turquoise Necklace is in Princess Anne’s portrait by John Stanton Ward in 1987, which is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London.
However, in recent years, the Pakistani Turquoise Necklace has been rarely worn, with a last notable appearance at Royal Ascot in 2007, but let’s hope it reappears again soon!
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