Magnificent jewels belonging to Her Majesty The Queen will go on display this summer as part of special displays celebrating the Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Each display explores a historic occasion in the monarch’s 70-year reign – the Accession, the Coronation and previous Jubilees – through photographs, paintings, works of art, and items of The Queen’s dress and jewellery.
Buckingham Palace
In the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, official portraits of the Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding just weeks after the Accession will be shown alongside items of jewellery worn for the portrait sittings.
One piece is the Diamond Diadem, one of the Queen’s most widely recognised pieces of jewellery.
The Diamond Diadem was created for the famously extravagant coronation of George IV in 1821.
It is set with 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds and consists of a band with two rows of pearls on either side of a row of diamonds, above which are diamonds set in the form of a rose, a thistle and two shamrocks, the national emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland.
It was inherited in 1837 by Queen Victoria, who was frequently painted and photographed wearing it, including on several early postage stamps such as the Penny Black.
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The Diadem passed to Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and then to Her Majesty The Queen, who wore it on the day of her Coronation.
She has also worn it on her journey to and from the State Opening of Parliament since the first year of her reign.
The Delhi Durbar necklace will also be on display at Buckingham Palace.
The necklace incorporates nine emeralds originally owned by Queen Mary’s grandmother, as well as an 8.8 carat diamond pendant cut from the Cullinan diamond – the largest diamond ever found.
The necklace was made for Queen Mary as part of a suite of jewellery created for the Delhi Durbar in 1911.
The Queen inherited the necklace in 1953 and wore it in a portrait sitting for Dorothy Wilding in 1956.
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The Canadian Maple-leaf Brooch, worn by Her Majesty (then Princess Elizabeth) on her first visit to Canada in 1951 will be featured, as will the Flame-Lily Brooch, the emblem of Zimbabwe, which was pinned to The Queen’s mourning clothes when she returned to Britain from Kenya after the death of her father in 1952.
The New Zealand Silver Fern Brooch, presented by the Women of Auckland on Christmas Day, 1953 is included in the display, as will the Australian Wattle Brooch, presented on Her Majesty’s first visit to Australia in 1954.
Completing the brooch display is the Sri Lanka Brooch, presented to The Queen during a State Visit to Sri Lanka in 1981.
Palace of Holyroodhouse
Those visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse can see a variety of outfits worn by Her Majesty for her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
In 1977 for The Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the royal couturier Sir Hardy Amies designed a striking ensemble of dress, coat and stole in pink silk crêpe and chiffon with a matching hat designed by Frederick Fox with flower heads hanging from silk stems.
For the first time, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee ensemble worn June 5, 2012 will be displayed.
The ensemble was designed by Angela Kelly, Personal Advisor to The Queen (Wardrobe) and consists of a pale turquoise dress and coat embroidered with scattered silver flowers, with a coordinating hat.
As well as the ensembles a selection of gifts presented during official engagements in Scotland will be on display.
Examples include a silver model of a miner’s Davy lamp, presented in 1958 when The Queen made her first descent into a working coal mine on the opening of the Rothes Colliery in Fife, and the ceremonial key to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is presented to Her Majesty at the start of Royal Week at the Palace each summer.