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Callarogus Shark Media. Hello, Welcome to Pallas Intrigue. I am
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your host, Mark Francis. A new biography has revealed that
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Carolyn Bassett once encouraged John F. Kennedy Junior to reach
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out to Prince William and Prince Harry following the death
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of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. According to the
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book Once Upon a Time The Captivating Life of Carolyn
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Bessett Kennedy by author Elizabeth Beller, Bissett believed Kennedy should
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contact the two princes to offer condolences after Diana's death
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in nineteen ninety seven. The suggestion came after reports that
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Diana had admired Kennedy Junior's ability to handle intense media
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attention with dignity. Bella wrote that Bassett hoped he might
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offer words of support to Diana's sons, who were suddenly
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facing enormous public scrutiny and grief. Carolyn tried to get
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John to call Princess William and Harry to give his
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condolences when it came out that Diana had hoped for
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her to emulate John's modesty in the face of media obsession,
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The author wrote However, Kennedy reportedly felt uncomfortable making the call.
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According to Bella, he hesitated because he did not personally
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know the young princes and believed their circumstances were very
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different from his own. He had met Diana once or twice,
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Bella wrote, explaining that Kennedy was deeply affected by the
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way she died while being pursued by paparazzi. At the time,
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Kennedy and Bessett were also dealing with intense media attention
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in their own lives, which had become increasingly overwhelming. The
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author suggested that Kennedy may have found the situation emotionally
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difficult and unsure how to approach such a deeply personal loss.
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He was, by all accounts, a lovely, gracious person, Bella wrote,
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adding that maybe that moment was too difficult for him
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to be able to reach out and say something to
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someone who's just lost their parent in a very public
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and dramatic way. Kate has been regularly wearing a sapphire
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and diamond eternity band since late twenty twenty four, adding
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to her ring stack alongside her Welsh gold wedding band
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and other pieces. The ring has attracted attention because it
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allows Catherine to subtly reference Princess Diana's famous sapphire engagement
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ring while choosing something more practical for everyday appearances. Diana's
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twelve caret sapphire engagement ring, now worn by Catherine, is
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often reserved for more formal occasions. Jury experts believe Catherine's
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eternity ban may be the Cartier Entin cell de Cartier
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wedding band. The platinum ring features alternating sapphires and diamonds,
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set with nineteen brilliant cut diamonds and nineteen brilliant cut sapphires.
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The piece retails for about fifty five hundred dollars, with
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a larger version of the design priced at around nine
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thy five hundred. The ring first appeared publicly in September
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twenty twenty four in a video announcing that Kate had
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completed chemotherapy treatment. Because of the timing, royal watchers have
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speculated that the band may have been a personal gift
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from Prince William, marking that milestone. Since then, the Princess
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of Wales has worn the ring at several public events,
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including Wimbledon and Remembrance Sunday. In twenty twenty five, and
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most recently during engagements in twenty twenty six. The design
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also bears a striking resemblance to the engagement ring once
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worn by Carolyn Bessett Kennedy, who received a sapphire and
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diamond eternity band from John F. Kennedy Junior instead of
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a traditional solitaire diamond. The style suited Beset Kennedy's minimalist
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esthetic and reportedly referenced jewelry worn by his mother, Jacqueline
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Kennedy a Nassas. Eternity bands have long carried symbolic meaning.
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Because the gemstones form an unbroken circle, the design is
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traditionally associated with enduring love and lifelong commitment. Tattler Wonders
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is the Duchess of Gloucester the royal family's greatest jewelry maverick.
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They explain, Brigitte, whose dedication to her role as a
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working member of the firm often goes uncelebrated, has access
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to the Gloucester Vaults, a vast array of jewelry that
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dwarfs the collection of entire dynasties. But it is not
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only the variety of her accessories that has those in
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the no singing her praises, but the artfulness with which
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she combines them. Take for example her recent out into
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the Dutch Church in London, where the Duchess seventy nine
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was the guest of honor at an event highlighting British basketmakers.
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Joining the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers, Brigitte watched honors the
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group demonstrated the best of basketry with talented growers and
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makers from across the country. When it came to her wardrobe,
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the Duchess of gloucesters duck to the trend that has
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swept royal families across Europe. Dressed in a burgundy coat
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of matching jumper, Brigitte followed in the footsteps of the
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Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess of Wales, Queen Rainia of Jordan,
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and Infanta Sophia of Spain, who have all shown their
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appreciation for the shade in recent months. But it was
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the Dutch. But it was the Duchess's choice of jewelry
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that truly stood out. Attached to her lapel, she wore
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a gold basket shaped pin. No prizes for guessing the
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providence of that particular piece. The pin is inspired by
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the Worshipful Company of basket maker's coat of arms. The
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Livery Company of the City of London dates back to
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fifteen sixty nine, and the Duchess of Gloucester has served
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as their honorary livery man since nineteen ninety one. The
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engagement rings worn by Queen Elizabeth, Kate and Megan each
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carry strong historical and personal symbolism, but they also very
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significantly in estimated value. Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring was created
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from diamonds taken from a tiara owned by Prince Philip's mother,
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Princess Alice of Battenberg. The tiara had originally been a
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gift from Sir Nicholas Second and Serena Alexandra of Russia.
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Philip had the diamonds reset into a platinum ring featuring
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a three carrot center stone with five smaller diamonds on
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either side. Experts estimated that ring will be worth about
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two hundred and fifty thousand dollars today. Kate's engagement ring
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is the most valuable of the three. The ring originally
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belonged to Princess Diana and features a twelve carrot oval
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salon sapphire surrounded by fourteen diamonds in white gold Diana
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chose it herself from the Garad catalog when Prince Charles
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proposed in nineteen eighty one. Prince William later used the
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same ring when proposing to Catherine in twenty ten, explaining
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that it helped keep his mother close to it all.
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While the ring originally cost about thirty seven thousand dollars
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in nineteen eighty one, its current estimated value is around
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five hundred twenty thousand. Meghan's engagement ring, designed by Prince
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Harry with the jeweler Cleave and Company, is valued at
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roughly three hundred to three hundred and fifty thousand. The
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ring features a cushion cut centered diamond source from Botswana
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and two smaller diamonds from Princess Diana's personal jewelry collection.
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Meghan later modified the ring by replacing the original yellow
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gold band with a thinner micro pavey band and adding
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a hidden halo around the center stone. Based purely on
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estimated market value, Catherine's sapphire ring is the most expensive
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of the three, followed by Meghan's diamond ring and then
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Queen Elizabeth's engagement ring. Despite the price differences, all three
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rings carry deep historical meaning Elizabeth's ring connects to European
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royal history through the Romanov family, Catherine's ring links her
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directly to Diana's legacy, and Meghan's incorporates diamonds from Diana's
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collection along with a stone from Botswana, a place important
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to her relationship with Harry More Palaceing just a moment,
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Elizabeth's one hundred and eighty five year old christening gown
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will go on public display for the first time as
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part of a major new exhibition at Buckingham Palace. The
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silk and lace robe, worn by sixty two royal babies
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across multiple generations, will feature in Queen Elizabeth the Second
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Her Life and Style at the King's Gallery from April tenth.
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The exhibition marks the centenary year of the late Monarch's
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birth and will be the largest display of her clothing
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ever staged, featuring around two hundred items from her fashion archive.
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The gown was first worn in eighteen forty one by
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Princess Victoria, the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria, and was
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subsequently used for generations of royal christenings, including that of
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Princess Elizabeth in May nineteen twenty six, when she was
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just a month old. A handwritten note by Elizabeth, the
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second listing members of her family known to have worn
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the robe, will be displayed alongside it. The box containing
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the garment also carried an instruction that it be watched
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in natural spring water after use. Caroline der Guiteaux, curator
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of the exhibition, said the christening robe was the most
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significant garment worn by Princess Elizabeth in her infancy and
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is an exceptional example of British craftsmanship, something Queen Elizabeth
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went on to champion throughout her life. As the earliest
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piece of clothing worn by the Queen and by so
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many royal babies before and after her, it holds a
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special place in her wardrobe. We are delighted to be
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able to share it with as many people as possible
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in the centenary year. The robe was created by Janet Sutherland,
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Queen Victoria's Scottish dressmaker and embroiderer. It is made from
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cream spital Filled's silk from East London and overlaid with
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Honiton lace from Devon, the same materials used in Queen
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Victoria's wedding dress. Over time, the delicate silk became increasingly fragile.
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Parts of the garment, including the central panel, wore thin
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after decades of use, although it was repaired in the
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nineteen sixties. By two thousand and four, Elizabeth Second decided
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it was too delicate to continue using. She commissioned her
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dresser Angela Kelly to create an exact replica using Honiton lace.
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The original robe has now undergone one hundred hours of
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conservation treatment by Cecilia Oliver, textile conservator for the Royal
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Collection Trust. The work includes delicate repairs, subtle reinforcements to
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weakened fabric, and careful hand washing. Section by section, Oliver said,
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the robe has been lovingly cared for over the generations.
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We even found a note on its box instructing that
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it be washed in natural spring water after use, which
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helps explain its remarkable condition despite such frequent use. However,
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after one hundred and eighty five years and sixty two christenings,
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it was in need of conservation. It has been an
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honor and a privilege to work on such a special
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historic garment. The display is considered particularly poignant as the
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King's Gallery stands on the site of the private chapel
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where Princess Elizabeth was christened. A chapel destroyed during the Blitz.
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The exhibition will also include the bonnet, silk, satin shawl, sash,
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bows and ribbons traditionally worn at royal christenings, underscoring the
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robe's role as both a family heirloom and a symbol
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of continuity within the monarchy. And there you have it.
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If you like to email us of addresses the Palace Entry,
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gat and Gmail and dot com. Please follow us on Spotify, Apple,
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or the apple of your choice and believe it was
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a nice review. If you're enjoying the show and Mark
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Francis my thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace intrigue
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in good terms.