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The Queen’s jewellery gifts from Prince Philip, and her other most sentimental pieces
The Duke of Edinburgh's romantic side came out in precious gifts to his wife - many of which he played a part in designing
Jewellery is unique in its ability to capture memories of a loved one. Over the course of their 73-year marriage the Duke of Edinburgh gave the Queen some spectacularly beautiful and meaningful pieces - several of which he helped to design.
She has been described as ‘incredibly stoic’ after the death of her beloved husband, with Prince Andrew commenting that Prince Philip’s passing has left a ‘huge void’ in his mother’s life. While she takes comfort from the thousands of tributes that have flooded in from all over the world, Her Majesty will also savour memories of the man she called her ‘strength and stay’ via the keepsakes he left behind.
As the plans for the funeral get underway today, the Queen will no doubt call upon one of these precious pieces for her husband’s final public farewell. She is known for choosing jewellery rife with symbolism, whatever the occasion - from the Lover’s Knot brooch she wears to weddings, to the sapphire and diamond ‘honeymoon’ brooch she wore to commemorate their 73rd wedding anniversary in November. These are a few of the gifts from Philip and sentimental jewels she may decide to wear this weekend.
Diamond engagement ring
The Duke of Edinburgh, then Philip Mountbatten, proposed to Princess Elizabeth in 1946, but the announcement was delayed until after her 21st birthday. When it was finally announced on 9 July, 1947, the world got its first glimpse at her ring: a three-carat brilliant-cut diamond set in platinum, flanked by smaller pavé-set stones.
The ring was made by London jeweller Philip Antrobus Ltd, using diamonds that came from an antique tiara belonging to Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. The Prince reportedly knew exactly what he wanted and was involved in the bespoke design. A timeless, classic style, the Queen has worn the ring daily ever since, paired with her Welsh gold wedding band.
Her grandson, Prince Harry, continued the tradition by ensuring that Meghan Markle’s three-stone engagement ring contained diamonds taken from jewellery that belonged to his mother, Princess Diana.
Diamond wedding bracelet
In addition to the engagement ring, the Prince surprised his bride-to-be with a diamond bracelet, also crafted using diamonds from his mother’s tiara. Set in platinum with geometric Art Deco-style diamond-set motifs, the bracelet was also made by Antrobus Ltd, and Prince Philip is said to have played a role in its design.
The Queen wore the bracelet on her wedding day, and has chosen it for significant ceremonial occasions throughout her reign, including during the celebrations for the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary in 1972. She has also lent it to the Duchess of Cambridge, who borrowed it for a state banquet in 2015 and the BAFTAs in 2017.
While perhaps too extravagant for a funeral - the Queen may prefer one of her more pared-back yet equally sentimental jewels - the bracelet is a lasting reminder of the Duke’s thoughtfulness and the couple’s wedding day, and is likely one of Her Majesty’s most treasured pieces.
Fifth anniversary bracelet
The traditional gift for a fifth wedding anniversary is wood, but Prince Philip went one better in 1952, commissioning French jewellery house Boucheron to create an elaborate bracelet that he once again helped to design.
The yellow-gold bracelet was based on a drawing by the Prince, and encompasses three crosses - two in sapphire and one in ruby - alongside the Duke’s naval badge set in diamonds, and two gold and diamond heraldic roses. These elements are joined by yellow-gold links in the shape of the couple’s joint cypher, with the interlocking initials E and P.
It’s rare to see the Queen wear this bracelet in public, but she did choose it for a portrait taken to mark the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary in 2007, demonstrating its significance to them both. The bracelet was also displayed in an exhibition celebrating the Duke’s 90th birthday.
Andrew Grima Scarab brooch
Along with his mischievous wit, the Duke of Edinburgh was renowned for his creative eye and passion for British design. So it makes sense that he was a fan of Andrew Grima, the celebrated contemporary London designer who revolutionised the British jewellery industry in the 1960s.
A far cry from the traditional antique jewels that make up the majority of the royal collection, Grima’s abstract pieces were wrought in heavily textured yellow gold, set with colourful semi-precious gemstones, and worn by supermodels and Bond girls alike. Prince Philip was obviously impressed. In 1966, Grima won the Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design, and that same year the Duke presented his wife with a yellow gold, ruby and diamond Scarab brooch by the jeweller.
One of the Queen’s favourite pieces, she has worn the brooch regularly for more than half a century, for both daytime and evening events and on more than one occasion during her annual Christmas broadcast. She wore it in a portrait released to mark their platinum anniversary, in 2017.
Just as important as its aesthetic appeal is the fact that it was chosen and given to her by her beloved husband, making its sentimental value all the more important today.
Honeymoon brooch
The Queen has dozens of brooches in her collection, but this platinum, diamond and sapphire chrysanthemum is one most closely associated with her relationship with Prince Philip. She was given it in 1946, a year before they married, not by her (then-secret) fiancé, but by a shipping company when she launched an oil tanker named the British Princess.
Its significance to their marriage comes from the fact that she was photographed wearing the brooch in their official honeymoon portraits, taken in the grounds of Broadlands House in Hampshire in 1947. The couple returned to the country lodge in 2007 while celebrating their 60th anniversary and recreated the images, with the Queen once again pinning the brooch to her lapel.
She wore the brooch for a portrait on what would turn out to be their final wedding anniversary together last November; a photograph that showed the couple opening a card from their great-grandchildren, wishing them a happy 73rd anniversary. Touchingly, she reached for the honeymoon brooch in her most recent address to the nation, on Commonwealth Day in early March, while her husband was in hospital.
Lover’s Knot brooch
One of several bow brooches in the Queen’s collection, the Lover’s Knot brooch was created by Garrard and acquired by Queen Mary, the Queen’s grandmother, in 1932. A large, scalloped bow entirely set with diamonds, it was passed on to the Queen when Queen Mary died in 1953.
The Queen has worn it throughout her reign, including for many white-tie occasions: its large size makes it ideal for securing a sash. She wore it for the wedding of her sister Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon in 1960, and again for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011, cementing its romantic associations.
While it may seem too large and resplendent for a funeral, it would not be without precedent. In 2010 the Queen wore it for a Remembrance Day service and, in 2002, she chose another, albeit smaller, bow brooch for her mother’s funeral, crafted from all-white diamond and pearls, in keeping with the traditional mourning colour scheme. She wore another white diamond bow brooch, an heirloom passed down from Queen Victoria, for Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997.
Cullinan V brooch
Another brooch with sentimental links to Prince Philip is the Cullinan V brooch, which the Queen wore for an official portrait released to mark her husband’s 99th birthday in June 2020. Set with a heart-shaped diamond weighing 18.8 carats, the brooch was created by Garrard in 1911 for Queen Mary to wear to the Delhi Durbar.
The heart-shaped stone is the fifth-largest polished diamond cut from the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered, the famed Cullinan diamond. Other stones cut from the rough reside in the Crown Jewels: the Cullinan I and Cullin II sit atop the Sovereign’s Sceptre and Imperial State Crown, respectively, while Cullinans III and IV are set together in a brooch that the Queen reportedly nicknamed ‘Granny’s Chips’ (they originally appeared together in her grandmother, Queen Mary’s, coronation crown).
But it’s the heart-shaped Cullinan V that holds the most sentimental value due to its romantic connotations. The Queen also chose to wear it for Princess Eugenie’s wedding, and its significance is all the more poignant now, as a reminder of the final birthday she spent with her beloved Philip.
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