The Queen’s Jewels: The Jewellery That Elizabeth II Received From Prince Philip – For a woman like the late Queen Elizabeth II, no jewel had as much value as the ones offered by her beloved Prince Philip. In today’s article, The Most Expensive Homes blog is taking a look at the jewellery that Queen Elizabeth II received from her husband, objects that hold, more than material value, stories, memories, and a great amount of affection. Keep reading to discover more.
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Queen Elizabeth II held a historic collection of jewellery that included dozens of tiaras, hundreds of brooches, and precious stones. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, offered many gifts to his beloved Queen, pieces that were, undoubtedly, more precious and that are part of this amazing collection.
Philip created and bought a lot of jewellery gifts for the Queen over the course of their 73-year marriage, and his distinctive creations frequently conveyed highly personal connections to their relationship. Their brief stay in Malta from 1949 to 1951, when the Duke was serving in the Royal Navy and the future Queen’s father, George VI, was still on the throne, was one of the happiest times of their relationship. Several of the items Philip had created for his wife had the Naval emblem.
Prince Philip and Princess Elizabeth first had a meaningful encounter in the summer of 1939 when a 13-year-old Elizabeth accompanied her parents on a trip to Britannia Royal Naval College, where an 18-year-old Philip was a cadet. Although they had briefly met at family events in the 1930s, this was their first significant encounter. Philip had only ever seen her as a young girl at the time, but Elizabeth fell in love at first sight. While the future Queen was “really in love from the very beginning,” according to her cousin Margaret Rhodes, Elizabeth’s nanny Marion Crawford noted that she “never took her eyes off him” at the time.
Later in the war, during Philip’s periods of leave back in London, romance would eventually develop. He gave her this diamond brooch, designed like his naval badge, as one of his very first presents. Elizabeth proudly wore the brooch as a Navy wife during those early years as Philip continued his job in the Navy until she became queen.
After the Second World War, Elizabeth and Philip’s relationship became serious. They were frequently seen dancing in London nightclubs, and “People Will Say We’re in Love” from the musical Oklahoma is claimed to be one of their favourite songs. Philip petitioned King George VI for his daughter’s hand in marriage in the summer of 1946. The King agreed but requested that they hold off on making a formal announcement until the year after her 21st birthday.
To create the engagement ring, Philip turned to London jeweller Philip Antrobus, who had previously created pieces for his mother, Princess Alice, and his uncle Lord Mountbatten. Princess Alice presented Philip with a vintage diamond tiara that had been disassembled in order to provide the gems.
A three-carat brilliant diamond is set in platinum and is surrounded by smaller diamonds that are pavé set. The engagement of the couple was formally announced on July 10, 1947, the day the Queen donned the ring for the first time.
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The wedding was set to take place on November 20, 1947. Elizabeth received a tonne of gifts from the public and the royal family, but Philip gave her the bracelet she is seen wearing in Canada in 1957, making it one of her most prized possessions. In order to create the diamond bracelet for his new wife, Philip used the remaining diamonds from his mother’s dismantled tiara.
“Lilibet is the only ‘thing in the world that is absolutely real to me,” Prince Philip wrote to the Queen Mother shortly after their nuptials: “My ambition is to weld the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good.” Throughout her reign, the Queen frequently wore the bracelet.
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By their fifth wedding anniversary in 1952, Elizabeth and Philip’s lives had undergone a significant transformation. Charles, who was born in 1948, and Anne were now their children (born in 1950). In February of that year, King George VI passed away, making Elizabeth the new monarch. In order to provide full-time care for the Queen, Philip gave up his profession in the Royal Navy. As Philip would later remark, “I think the main lesson that we have learned is that tolerance is the one essential ingredient of any happy marriage… and you can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance.” Philip and his wife struggled to strike a balance between their roles as husband and wife and Queen and Consort.
Philip designed this gold bracelet commissioned by Boucheron to commemorate their wedding anniversary. The bracelet bears a sapphire cross and two diamond crosses, possibly depicting the Greek flag and Philip’s naval emblem. Two roses of York flank a ruby cross, possibly evoking the English flag and signifying the Queen’s previous title as Princess Elizabeth of York. These symbols are all joined by gold links that resemble Es and Ps that are locked together. The Queen can be seen wearing the bracelet in this 2008 photo as she attends the Order of St. Michael and St. George liturgy at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Philip founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Prize for Elegant Design in 1959 and served as its chairman. The prize was intended to honour the excellence and uniqueness of a piece of work as well as the designer’s commitment to design and design education. The prize was only awarded to one jeweller, Andrew Grima. Unique and daring, Grima’s jewellery altered how people viewed jewellery in the years following World War II.
Grima was honoured by Prince Philip in 1966 for improving the status of contemporary British jewellery abroad. That year, Philip bought the “Venus” brooch from Grima’s collection to give to the Queen. The brooch was worn by the Queen for official photographs marking her and Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in 2017. It is made of gold with sculpted rubies and diamonds. In 2015, she was seen wearing it when touring Innsworth, Gloucestershire.
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