Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels: what they are, how much they are worth and to whom they will be inherited

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

The Windsor jewelry collection, passed down from generation to generation, is priceless that includes not just crowns, but tiaras, tiaras, necklaces, memorabilia and 23,578 gemstones.

Author: Clara Salzano

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation in 1953, Cecil Beaton

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

The crown is so heavy it could break my neck“, he revealed once there Queen Elizabeth II. And in fact, the Sovereign’s jewels have always had a weight, not just institutional, but real. AND not just crownsTiaras, tiaras, necklaces, memorabilia and other jewelry are also part of the royal family’s vast collection. The Windsor Collection, passed down from generation to generation, is priceless and yet Queen Elizabeth II was able to wear spectacular diamonds and one-of-a-kind pieces with great elegance and ease on any occasion. Here you are the most important jewelry from the collection, some of which form part of the deceased sovereign’s personal inheritance.

The crown of Saint Edward worn by the Sovereign at the time of his coronation
The crown of Saint Edward worn by the Sovereign at the time of his coronation

the crown jewels

More than seventy years have passed since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. On her head was placed the crown that had been before her father King George and which today is part of the priceless treasure of the Crown Jewels. It was always hard to define what they were the jewels of monarchs of Windsor in a personal capacity and those held on behalf of the crown. However, it must be considered that many pieces of the vast collection of crown jewels were the first personal pieces of the monarchs. the crown jewels they are therefore only a part of the Royal Collection. They represent the most powerful symbols of the British monarchy and are all linked to important historical moments for the British nation.

The Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown

This magnificent, world-famous collection includes 23,578 gemstones, objects and other memorabilia that are used in royal ceremonies. The Crown Jewels are part of the crown of st edwardmade for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, which is worn by the sovereign at the time of coronation. The Imperial State Crown It was created for the coronation of King George VI and was used by Queen Elizabeth II at the end of the coronation ceremony and during the return procession, as well as in Buckingham Palace balcony appearances. The Imperial State Crown is adorned with the Ruby black prince which appears to have been placed on Henry V’s helmet used at the Battle of Agincourt.

The Coronation of Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Elizabeth II

The Queen’s Personal Collection

Queen Elizabeth II generally had the rule of wearing her personal jewels in the most familiar circumstances and wearing her crown jewels only on special and official occasions. However, few know that the Queen’s jewelry collection is perhaps even larger than the royal collection. Much of the Queen’s personal jewelry dates back to the six-decade reign of the Queen. queen victoriawho loved to collect gems and with the expansion of the British Empire managed to acquire them from various parts of the world.

The Delhi Durbar necklace
The Delhi Durbar necklace

There queen mary she was obsessed with gemstones and diamonds and thanks to numerous trips around the world she managed to accumulate the most precious pieces in the Queen Elizabeth collection, thanks also to diplomatic gifts and her connections with jewelers in London and Paris. The Queen’s grandmother’s collection includes, for example, the Delhi Durbar necklace which was crafted with nine emeralds and an 8.8 carat cut diamond pendant from Cullinan diamond, the largest diamond ever found. The necklace was made in 1911 by the jeweler Garrard & Co to Delhi Durbar from Queen Mary. Queen Elizabeth II wore the necklace for a portrait of Dorothy Wilding in 1956.

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Diadem Diadem
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Diadem Diadem

One of Queen Elizabeth II’s most valuable jewels was the diamond diademconsisting of a band with two rows of pearls on the sides and set with 1,333 brilliant cut diamonds and rose-shaped diamonds, a thistle and two shamrocks, national emblems from England, Scotland and Ireland. The messages and symbols hidden in the jewelry of Queen Elizabeth II, a very private woman, have become an obsession for royal observers around the world. Among the iconic gems of the United Kingdom’s nations are four brooches belonging to the queeneach representing a nation: rose for England, daffodils for Wales, thistles for Scotland and a sprig of clover for Northern Ireland.

the queen's brooches
the queen’s brooches

The Queen’s collection must include the Great Britain and Ireland Girls Tiara and the tiara vladimirknown as the “diadem of pearls and diamonds”, both gifts from grandmother Queen Mary, respectively from 1893 and 1921. It was from Queen Mary and then passed to Queen Elizabeth II in George III’s DiademAlso known as tiara with fringes of Queen Mary, which the late sovereign wore in her bridal veil.

Queen Elizabeth II with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Elizabeth II with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

The legacy of Queen Elizabeth II

If the Crown Jewels are passed from sovereign to sovereign to be used on official occasions and enrich the Royal Collection, the Queen can freely choose who to leave her personal jewels to. It appears that Elizabeth II, in a will drawn up in August 2022, left most of the jewelry to Kate Middleton and her daughter Princess Charlotte, born in 2015, excluding Meghan Merkle and her daughter Lilibeth Diana from the succession of precious pieces. . , born in 2021, which the Queen would only see on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee.

A post shared by the Royal Collection Trust (@royalcollectiontrust)

Source: Fan Page IT

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