Queen Elizabeth wore ‘her most sentimental’ jewel for her final portrait

The Palace released the portrait of the monarch, taken by photographer Ranald Mackechnie, “to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – the first British monarch to reach this milestone”.

The creative director at Boucheron, Claire Choisne, commented: “I am a fan of the Queen and always have been.

“My grandmother was from Liverpool – and I’m probably the shame of my family because I’m so French, but I always watched the Queen’s speech at Christmas on the BBC since I was a child – the French commentary would never do.

“I was so touched that she wore something sentimental in her final portrait. It shows that it was emotion that won in the end, not a tiara or a crown. It was those two little brooches, the family present, that she chose to wear.”