The Queen Mother’s legacy lives on through iconic jewels still worn today

Kate, Princess of Wales and Queen Camilla are always adorned in statement jewels for the most poignant royal events, many of which are family heirlooms.

While the Royal Family’s extensive collection contains pieces from all over the world, the most famous pieces came to be because of the people that wore them.

And the Queen Mother was something of an icon when it came to her personal jewels. King Charles’s grandmother was linked to some of the most renowned tiaras, necklaces and earrings designed by the likes of Cartier, which will forever continue her legacy.

Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who frequently honoured her mother’s style, many of her intricately detailed accessories have been passed down to Princess Kate and Queen Camilla.

Though they aren’t worn often, pieces like the Greville Festoon necklace and tiara have accounted for some of the modern royal’s most distinguished style moments.

Greville festoon necklace and Greville tiara

Made by Cartier, the Greville Festoon necklace was given to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1942 by wealthy society figure Margaret Greville as part of an expansive collection.

The heavily encrusted diamond necklace is one of the most elaborate in the British royal vaults, crafted from five rows that can be detached into a set of the original two and the three that were added after it was first made.

Of course, the necklace came with a matching tiara which was bequeathed to the royal in the same set from Margaret Greville. However, the Queen Mother was unable to publicly wear the Greville Tiara until 1947 due to the ongoing war.

It did eventually make its debut on the Royal Family’s Tour of South Africa, and after that was worn for the Dutch State Visit in 1950, during the Danish State Visit to Britain in 1951, and on a visit to Rhodesia in 1953.

Though she never the necklace in public, both items were passed onto Queen Elizabeth II upon her mother’s death. Since then, they have been on a long-term loan to Queen Camilla.

The Greville Tiara first made a public appearance on Camilla at a Brazilian state banquet in 2006, and since then has been worn for the majority of her Tiara events, including all state banquets and most diplomatic receptions.

Sapphire fringe earrings

Another notable piece in the Queen Mother’s collection is the sapphire fringe earrings. The statement jewels are made from large sapphires surrounded by diamonds, from which diamond fringes are suspended in an Art Deco design.

The Queen Mother famously started wearing them sometime around the 1960s, during her widowhood and were given to Queen Elizabeth II upon her death.

Like many of her inherited jewels, the sapphire earrings remained unworn by the late Queen until they appeared on the Kate, Princess of Wales at the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2015.

More recently, the 41-year-old wore them for the Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey in December 2022.

Queen Alexandra’s wedding necklace

The bespoke diamond and pearl necklace was among a variety of jewels, including Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, which was given to Queen Mother by Queen Mary after her husband’s accession to the throne in 1936.

Jewellery expert, the Royal Watcher claimed: “Queen Alexandra’s wedding necklace became a firm favourite of the Queen Mother after the War and the death of her husband when she frequently paired it with her Greville Tiara, a piece she had inherited during the war, and she thus wore that combination for decades at all manner of events.”

Crafted from a delicate band of diamonds with eight large pearl pendants and three smaller drop pearls, the unique piece had not been worn for decades after Queen Elizabeth II inherited it, that is until Princess Kate styled it for the state banquet for the King and Queen of the Netherlands at Buckingham Palace in 2018.

The Princess of Wales paired the piece with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara and Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Earrings, complementing the pearls in each jewel.

According to the Royal Watcher, it is the “oldest royal jewel loaned to the Duchess yet”, and is yet to make a more recent appearance.