The Royal Collection Trust will bring together five centuries of British royal jewelry for a major exhibition in The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace next June.
Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes will feature more than 300 pieces dating from the 16th century to the present, with around two-thirds being publicly displayed for the first time, the trust announced Oct. 22.
The exhibition will include items associated with monarchs from Henry VIII and Charles II to Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, alongside paintings, designs, and archival documents. Pieces by houses including Garrard & Co., Cartier, Boucheron, and Fabergé will help illustrate how royal jewelry evolved over five centuries.
Among the highlights will be the diamond diadem created for George IV’s coronation, which later became closely associated with Queen Elizabeth II through her portraits on coins, banknotes, and stamps. Also on display will be Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown, which was placed on her coffin while she lay in state. The Crown Jewels themselves will remain on display at the Tower of London.
A central section will examine jewelry associated with every queen and consort from Queen Charlotte through Queen Elizabeth II. First-time exhibits will include Queen Charlotte’s garnet jewels; Queen Alexandra’s diamond and black pearl serpent bracelet; a Fabergé aquamarine and diamond pendant that Queen Mary gave the future Queen Elizabeth II; and the Greville emerald and diamond necklace, which came to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother as part of Dame Margaret Greville’s bequest.
The show will also explore the personal significance of royal jewelry through pieces connected with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Those include the diamond brooch Albert gave Victoria on the eve of their wedding, a bracelet set with pebbles collected during their first journey alone together, and Victoria’s mourning ring containing Albert’s photograph and their intertwined ciphers.
Other objects reach much further back in British history. Among them are cufflinks said to have been worn by Charles I on the scaffold before his execution and subsequently given to loyal supporters. The pieces will be publicly displayed for the first time.
Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes will run from June 25, 2027, through March 19, 2028. The Royal Collection Trust will also publish a companion book in June, which it describes as the first comprehensive study of the British royal jewelry collection.
The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.
Top: The late Queen Elizabeth II wears the diamond diadem in a portrait taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952. (All photos courtesy of Royal Collection Trust)
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