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Queen Elizabeth’s jaw-dropping collection of royal jewels is on display at Buckingham Palace

By Abby Montanez 1 August, 2022
Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession exhibition

The exhibition includes never-before-seen pieces worn throughout the British monarch’s 70-year reign

Holding onto precious jewellery has been the royal family’s jam for generations. Now a new UK exhibition is putting those skills—and the heirlooms they’ve culled—on full display.

The show, organised by the Royal Collection Trust, showcases pieces from Her Majesty’s extensive prized jewellery collection. The exhibition, entitled “Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession,” opened to the public in late July inside the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession exhibition
The Queen wears The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara (left), The Queen wears the Diamond Diadem and the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace (right)

On view are jewels that have great sentimental value to the Queen, including items worn by the monarch throughout her lifetime—passed down from generations and donned during portrait sittings. Among the pieces on display, the most recognisable may be the Diamond Diadem crown and The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. Other jewels, such as a Dorset Bow brooch and a pair of diamond bangles, are being shown for the first time.

The famous Diamond Diadem is set with 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds and 169 pearls. The crown was originally created for George IV’s coronation in 1821 and was worn by the Queen on the day of her coronation in 1953. She has also worn it to almost every State Opening of Parliaments.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession exhibition
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was passed down to Princess Elizabeth on her wedding day in 1947 by her grandmother, Queen Mary. At the time, the future Queen Mary was given the tiara upon her marriage to the future King George V in 1893. On this occasion, she was also presented with a Dorset Bow Brooch and a pair of bangles believed to be made in India.

Other notable jewels on view include the platinum Nizam of Hyderabad necklace set with 300 diamonds, the Vladimir Tiara with removable emeralds and the Delhi Durbar necklace with an 8.8-carat diamond pendant.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession exhibition
The Vladimir Tiara

Accompanying the heirlooms are a series of portraits taken by Dorothy Wilding, who was appointed as the Official Royal Photographer of the Coronation in 1937. Wilding first began photographing the royal family in the late 1920s. In the 24 historic images on display, viewers can see the exact jewellery that The Queen wore during each of the sittings.

“Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession” will run through 2 October.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession

This story was first published on Robb Report USA