Until now, the world seems to be taken by Queen Elizabeth II’s passing last September 8. While the grief has taken a lot of the royal family and even some of those who have revered the royal family, there’s also controversy surrounding the events that will take place afterwards.
Specifically, many eyes are turned towards the royal family jewels. Between the crown jewels and other valuable jewelry in the possession of the royal family, some are wondering what exactly will happen to them now that Queen Elizabeth’s death has come.
As she left behind quite an expansive and expensive jewelry collection, some people are wondering: who will get the royal jewels, and what will happen to them given their history?
Who Gets Queen Elizabeth Jewelry?
Because Queen Elizabeth seems to have been with the monarchy since forever. Some people may even assume that the crown jewels have always belonged to her. However, the Crown and the priceless collection belong to the one who is seated as the monarch. That means even before Queen Elizabeth came to the throne and even now that someone else will take her place, the Crown Jewels will belong with that person.
This means that King Charles III, who has assumed the throne and is set to inherit some of what his mother left behind, may be in line for some of these inheritances. Still, the most traditional royal jewel, the crown, may not even come near King Charles III anytime soon.
According to Today, it appears that the new king will only be having the Accession Ceremony for now. As per tradition, the queen’s death has not set in motion the official period of morning all throughout the U.K. And even though the Accession Ceremony includes this, the coronation is nowhere to be held.
Coronation and Crown Jewels: What Now?
While there is no word yet on when the coronation ceremony will be, some speculations point to St. Edward’s Crown. Since 1661, the monarchy used this crown for ceremonies as with King Charles II when he was crowned. The St. Edward’s Crown consists of over 2.900 precious stones, including the St. Edward’s Sapphire, the Stuart Sapphire, the Black Prince’s Ruby, and the Cullinan II diamond. The rest consists of over 2,800 diamonds, 16 other sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 269 pearls.
King Charles II may finally wear an official crown during the coronation ceremony. He wore a coronet back in 1969 during his coronation as the Prince of Wales.
Many consider the Royal Collection as one of the most invaluable collections in the world owned by private individuals. But the moniker for the collection may be deceiving, as it includes more than just actual jewels. The collection also includes artworks from the Queen’s own collection. Some items even date back to Henry VIII’s time. On the other hand, the collection has also grown quite extensively.
The Royal Collection also includes the Queen’s private jewelry collection. These include fine jewelry either given by other royal family members as gifts, or purchased by the Queen herself.
Where are Queen Elizabeth’s Personal Jewels Kept?
The Royal Crown jewels have become a big topic following the tragedy of Her Majesty. While they may have seemed like a myth for some and a must-see collection for others, there are those who wonder where exactly these Queen Elizabeth jewelry are at the moment.
Her Majesty’s collection currently resides in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. Armed guards keep watch over these treasures, especially since these jewelry hold quite a bit of history on them.
They did not always stay in the Tower of London. Prior to 1649, the Crown Jewels belonged at Westminster Abbey. Following the execution of King Charles I, parliament opted to put the king’s valuables on sale, except for the Coronation Regalia. The original jewels appeared to have been destroyed and split apart. Some of the precious stones got sold off whereas gold parts melted at the Tower Mint.
Despite these efforts to take down the monarchy, however, 1660 opened with Charles II ordering new regalia and comprising the Crown Jewels collection as it is today in its new house.
Does Any of Queen Elizabeth 1 Jewelry Still Exist?
Sadly, despite the massive collection, only a few of these trace back to Queen Elizabeth I’s own assortment. Some jewelry pieces either got sold off or gifted to others.
Queen Elizabeth I played a role in growing this collection. History remembers her for her love of jewelry, making her responsible for the growth of the Royal collection of fine pieces.
The Future of the Royal Collection
Presently, one of the biggest questions that followers of these Crown jewels is whether or not they will be returned to the countries they were taken from.
With the Queen gone, some analysts speculate that the jewels may find their way to King Charles II. If this happens, it won’t be impossible for Camilla as the queen consort to be one of the recipients of the jewels. Reports suggest that she may be in line to receive the Queen Mother’s Kohinoor Crown, particularly when King Charles III finally gets to have his coronation ceremony.
On the other hand, some also think that Kate Middleton is not too far behind the line. Live Mint reported that the Queen appears to have left some instructions for the crown jewels. Some of the Royal family may get a chance to wear the jewelry once certain arrangements are finalized.