What Happened To Queen Elizabeth's Jewelry After She Died?

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, there has been much speculation as to what happened to the monarch's bounty of prized possessions. Royal wills are top secret and have been subject to considerable controversy due to the Windsors' efforts to hide their personal wealth from the public. In fact, the late monarch's will is to remain sealed and kept in a safe for 90 years. However, we do know what happened to a number of her possessions. The queen's beloved corgis, for instance, were inherited by Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Meanwhile, King Charles III has inherited his mother's enormous wealth. Elizabeth's personal assets, including her jewelry, was estimated to be worth $500 million, but not all of her jewels have gone to the king.

The royal family's jewelry collection contains some of the most stunning pieces in the world. Renowned for her love of pearls, sapphires, and diamonds, Elizabeth was never snapped sans her dazzling accessories, to the point that they are an inextricable part of her much celebrated image. So, what happened to Queen Elizabeth's jewelry after she died?

When Princess Charlotte paid her respects at the funeral of her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 2022, she was spotted wearing a fetching diamond horseshoe brooch. The jewel holds special significance to Charlotte, being an emblem that has been passed through generations of Windsors. The heirloom brooch, which was the young princess' first ever brooch, was a gift to Charlotte from Elizabeth, whom the youngster affectionately termed "Gan-Gan." 

The brooch was first bequeathed to The Queen Mother by her mother-in-law, Queen Mary. The Queen Mother then gave it to her daughter, Elizabeth. It's unknown when Elizabeth gave her great-granddaughter the jewel, but since Charlotte wore it for the first time at the funeral, it's possible that it was a parting gift from the ailing monarch. 

Wearing the brooch at Her Majesty's funeral was a sweet, albeit poignant, act from the young princess. Elizabeth was famed for her love of horses, and her great-granddaughter shares this equine passion. Charlotte was reportedly gifted a pony by her parents, Prince William and Princess Catherine, on her 7th birthday. In the future, Charlotte is likely to inherit more of her grandmother's jewels, such as those that are currently in the possession of her mother. It's also been suggested that Charlotte may eventually inherit the queen's engagement ring.

As the queen's successor to the throne, King Charles III is believed to have inherited many of his late mother's jewels, including pearls, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. He has also inherited priceless heirlooms that relate directly to his role as reigning monarch. For instance, at his coronation in 2023, he donned the majestic St. Edward's Crown, which was worn by his mother at her own coronation 70 years earlier.

Controversially, he also inherited the Cullinan diamond, the largest in the world. The diamond hails from South Africa; the royal family obtained it in 1907 as the country was under British colonial rule at the time. The diamond was eventually passed down to Queen Elizabeth II when she ascended the throne. Charles' subsequent possession of it has led to calls for him to return it. "The late Queen of England has flaunted these (diamonds) for over half a century," Leigh-Ann Mathys, a spokesperson for South Africa's Economic Freedom Fighters, told CNN. "Our call is for repatriations for all colonial theft, which the theft of the Great Star of Africa is a part of." However, it's likely that the diamond will remain in Charles' possession, as the king has previously not heeded demands for other colonial-era jewels, such as the contentious Koh-i-Noor from India, to be returned.

Since Her Majesty's death, there have been many royal style nods to Queen Elizabeth II. While some royals choose to pay tribute to the monarch through their outfits, others honor her by giving her jewels a new lease of life. At King Charles III's coronation in 2023, Princess Catherine wore Elizabeth's diamond festoon necklace, one of the monarch's favorite pieces, for royal portraits. She went without the necklace for the actual coronation ceremony, possibly due to the dazzling heirloom being too overpowering when paired with Catherine's robe and floral-embroidered crown.

The necklace holds immense historical significance, having been made by the crown jeweler Garrard using diamonds from the personal collection of Elizabeth's grandmother, Queen Mary. After being gifted the necklace by her father, King George VI, in 1950, Elizabeth frequently wore it to her royal engagements. It's not known whether the necklace will remain permanently in Catherine's possession, but considering that she inherited large portions of the queen's jewelry, it may very well be among her personal collection.

Following the queen's death, it was reported that Princess Catherine would be inheriting the majority of Her Majesty's jewels, but Queen Camilla would have priority over choosing which pieces she wished to keep. "There is a hierarchy in all of this," royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. "The Queen Consort, really, gets first choice of the queen's jewelry. And after that is Princess of Wales, of course ... The Duchess of Sussex, I'm sure, will come in for some jewelry at some point, but she is much further down the pecking order."

Accordingly, one significant treasure that Camilla inherited from her mother-in-law is the state diadem, which she wore for the first time at the state opening of parliament in 2023. Elizabeth wore the diadem at her coronation in 1953, and continued to showcase the jeweled crown throughout her 70-year reign. As queen consort, Camilla can be expected to wear it for future state opening of parliament ceremonies.

Such an inheritance is essential for Camilla, who will require many of Elizabeth's jewels throughout her duties as queen consort. "There are pieces which will remain for use of the reigning monarch's wife — in this case Camilla. She will need a large collection to support her constitutional role," royal expert Ingrid Seward told the Daily Mail.

Queen Elizabeth II was famed for her love of pearls and she was seldom seen without a pearlescent cluster around her neck. One of her most prized treasures was her three-strand pearl necklace, which was a gift from her father, King Georgie VI, with whom she had a close and loving relationship. "Elizabeth loved the three-strand pearl necklace so much that she had an identical one made," said jewelers David Douglas, per Hello! "In 1953, a third three-stand pearl necklace joined her collection. It was a gift from Emir of Qatar and the only difference among the three was that this version sported a diamond clasp."

It is believed that Elizabeth's only daughter, Princess Anne, inherited her favorite pearl necklace, as the princess royal was spotted wearing it at an event in New York a month after Elizabeth's death. Like her late mother, Anne is known to have an affinity for pearls, which makes her acquisition of the queen's favorite necklace all the more poignant. "However, more specifically, pearls have become a symbol of grief within the royal family, with the gemstone being worn at many funerals," Aimee Howlett, a jewelry expert, told Something About Rocks. "With Anne inheriting the Queen's most favored piece of jewelry, it indicates a sense of remembrance and love when the piece is worn."

The Nizam of Hyderabad necklace, which is valued at £66.3 million (around $85 million), was one of Queen Elizabeth II's most ornate pieces of jewelry. The stunning necklace, which features 13 emerald-cut diamonds, was gifted to Elizabeth by the Nizam of Hyderabad following her engagement in 1947. Clearly enamored by the heirloom, Elizabeth wore it on her wedding day later that year.

Princess Catherine borrowed the necklace twice during the queen's lifetime, wearing it at a reception at the National Portrait Gallery in 2014 and then at a Buckingham Palace reception five years later. Testament to the late monarch's affection for her grandson's wife, Catherine, unlike other royals, was lucky enough to have been permitted to borrow the necklace. Seeing as Catherine is the only person in the royal family — other than Elizabeth — who has ever worn the necklace, it's believed that she may be set to inherit it. As jewelry expert Charlotte White told Express a month before the queen's death, the necklace is highly suited to Catherine's tastes. "Kate's jewelry style choices are largely acknowledged to be impeccable and they have attracted legions of fans," White explained. "She has certainly donned some of the most prized, rare and valuable jewels in the world in her time ... Kate has a definite affinity for natural diamonds.

Queen Elizabeth II was rarely seen without an exquisite brooch attached to her lapel. In the wake of her death, her daughter-in-law, Queen Camilla, inherited a large collection of these brooches. In 2023, she was spotted wearing a diamond oyster brooch, which previously belonged to Elizabeth and is valued at £30,000 (around $38,500).

However, unlike the jewels that were in the late monarch's possession for over half a century, this brooch hadn't belonged to Elizabeth for very long; she inherited it from The Queen Mother upon her death. "Queen Elizabeth regularly wore the piece, most notably during her 100th birthday celebrations in 2000," diamond expert Maxwell Stone told Express. "When Queen Elizabeth sadly passed away in 2002, she left the brooch to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. [It was] one of the late monarch's most valuable brooches."

The following year, Camilla wore one of Elizabeth's rarest brooches, the Williamson pink diamond brooch, which is worth an eye-watering £25 million (around $32 million). But it's not just Elizabeth's most beloved brooches that Camilla has been treasuring; she's also given a home to one of the late queen's least favorite pieces, an emerald, diamond, and sapphire brooch that Elizabeth inherited from her grandmother, Queen Mary. Camilla wore the accessory to Easter service in 2024.

Queen Camilla has worn the late Queen Elizabeth II's jewelry on a number of occasions, but since the monarch's death, she's been paying bejeweled tributes to her more frequently. For the state banquet, which was Camilla's first ever, in November 2022, she wore her mother-in-law's precious sapphire suite. Elizabeth was renowned for her love of sapphires, which have long held significance among the royal family due to their historical associations with nobility.

The suite, which consists of a tiara, earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, was among Elizabeth's most prized jewelry sets (Camilla, however, didn't wear the earrings to the state banquet, as she has never had her ears pierced). The sapphire necklace and earrings were a wedding gift from Elizabeth's father, King George VI, whereas the late monarch acquired the tiara and bracelet in 1963. Accordingly, the necklace and earrings set has been dubbed the "King George VI Sapphire Suit," while the matching headgear is regarded as the "Belgian Sapphire Tiara," since it was made using jewels from a necklace that belonged to Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Looking every bit the future queen consort, Princess Catherine wore Queen Elizabeth II's Cartier Greville chandelier earrings at the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Rajwa Al Saif in 2023. It's possible that the magnificent jewels were among the enviable jewelry collection Catherine inherited from her husband's grandmother. Indeed, the earrings have been passed down throughout royal generations.

They were initially owned by Margaret Greville, a working-class woman turned society hostess, who left the majority of her jewels to The Queen Mother upon her death in 1942. "Mrs Greville has left me her jewels ... dear old thing, and I feel very touched ... It is rather exciting to be left something, and I do admire beautiful stones with all my heart," The Queen Mother said upon receiving the jewels, per Tatler. Her daughter, Elizabeth, often wore the earrings, most notably during her coronation portrait. However, they weren't officially hers until the death of The Queen Mother in 2002, thereafter becoming one of Elizabeth's favorite pairs of earrings.

It is highly likely that Catherine has inherited the earrings over Queen Camilla, since the latter has stated that she has no intention of ever getting her ears pierced. Elizabeth herself was unable to wear the earrings until 1951, when she finally took the ear-piercing plunge out of a desire to wear the eye-catching mini chandeliers.

Though Queen Elizabeth II's ring wasn't the most expensive royal engagement ring, it held profound sentimental value. Prince Philip, who preceded Elizabeth in death by less than 18 months, gifted the erstwhile Princess Elizabeth the ring back in 1947. Poignantly, it was designed by Philip and made using diamonds from a tiara that belonged to the prince's tragic mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, a royal eccentric with whom Philip had a complicated relationship. Elizabeth wore the ring along with her gold wedding band, which contained a secret message from Philip. "She never takes it off and inside the ring is an inscription," royal expert Ingrid Seward told Hello! "No one knows what it says, other than the engraver, the Queen and her husband."

However, the queen was buried with her wedding ring, so its hidden message remains a secret forevermore. "The story of the queen's three-diamond engagement ring is a really lovely one because while we know she's going to be buried with her very simple Welsh gold wedding ring, she's not going to be buried with this priceless engagement ring," Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight. Royal experts have suggested that the engagement ring was inherited by Princess Anne.

In addition to her beloved three-strand pearl necklace, Queen Elizabeth II also had a four-row pearl choker. The choker was commissioned by Elizabeth herself, made with fine pearls gifted to her by the Japanese government during her tour of the country in 1975. It was one of the monarch's most exquisite — not to mention expensive — pieces. "The pearl choker was created using cultured pearls, which means that they were grown in pearl farms in carefully chosen environments," Maxwell Stone, of diamond experts Steven Stone, told Hello! "Despite possessing all the qualities — luster and hardness — of natural pearls, cultured pearls aren't as rare and this is reflected in their price. With this in mind, I'd estimate its value to be approximately £23,000 (about $29,700)."

At the queen's funeral in 2022, Princess Catherine was seen wearing the stunning choker. It wasn't the first time she had worn the necklace, however. She borrowed it in 2017 to celebrate the queen's 70th wedding anniversary, and once again in 2021, when she wore it to Prince Philip's funeral, seemingly as a symbolic tribute to the grieving queen. Clearly, the choker meant a lot to Catherine, hence her decision to wear it again at Elizabeth's funeral, so it's likely to be among the heirlooms she inherited from the late monarch.

With the elderly King Charles III's health faltering, there are already signs that Princess Catherine is ready to become queen consort. When Catherine does take the throne, she is expected to inherit many more of Queen Elizabeth II's jewels, and could very well re-home her Cartier Halo tiara. Famously, Catherine wore the tiara when she wed Prince William in 2011.

In 1936, King George VI bought the tiara for his wife, Elizabeth, Queen Consort, i.e. the future Queen Mother. She passed it down to her daughter, Elizabeth, when she turned 18 in 1944. "I am giving Lilibet a small diamond tiara of my own for her 18th birthday, & Bertie [George VI] is giving her a little bracelet to wear now," The Queen Mother wrote in a letter to Queen Mary, per the Court Jeweller.

However, Elizabeth never wore the tiara publicly during her long reign, instead lending it to her sister, Princess Margaret, her daughter, Princess Anne, and, of course, Catherine on her wedding day. Elizabeth's unwillingness to wear the tiara out in public indicates that it was not viewed as an accessory befitting the reigning monarch; as such, it's more likely that it will go to future queen consort Catherine or even her daughter, Princess Charlotte.