Royal Style: Elizabeth may be gone, but her diamonds are forever

[Maireas]

Evening Royal style and beauty fans.
Into the Carolean era, with more bling we hope! Also more state banquets?

[NiqueNique]

Was just reading back through the two previous threads which brought us so poignantly from the highs of the Jubilee and celebrations of a long life lived in service and duty, to the terribly sad few hours where we waited to hear of the death of the Queen, to a new King and a new Prince and Princess of Wales. Found it quite emotional, actually!

Thought i would re-post this comment from Hels20 as it seems fitting for this thread where we step properly into the new:

He’s made mistakes has our King but I will never forget the kindness he showed my parents and then me when my 29 year old sister died of cancer - about 2 days after meeting him (under the spotlight). I still have photos of the stunning flowers he had hand delivered to my house and the original of the beautiful letter he hand wrote me - giving me some happiness when all around me turned black.
^^
I think Kate will make a beautiful and serene Princess of Wales and Charles will be a good King. Long live the King!

I’m sorry for your loss @Hels20, if you’re reading. 💐

I also wanted to say to @TracyBeakerSoYeah what a lovely photo of Great Uncle Bob and HMQ!

[Words]

Place mark king.

[Maireas]

HMQ's engagement ring was made from diamonds from one of his mother's tiaras.
667 that has got to be one of the lowest things to do, your poor family.

[NiqueNique]

(And a new Queen Consort, too)

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast that’s such an awful thing to happen. Despicable act by a despicable person I’m sorry for your loss too. 💐

[SenecaFallsRedux]

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast That is so horrible. It is so sad how low some people can stoop.

It will be interesting to see who gets the Queen's ring.

[SheldonesqueIsUnderwhelmed]

nique

Thank you for re-posting Hels20’s memory of her sister and our new king.

Little sparkles of kindness and hope come from the most unexpected sources sometimes and are all the more special for it. What a beautifully kind thing for him to do.

I think we are in good hands. Nope. I know we are.

For those who know loss ✨ 🌻

[667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast]

@NiqueNique @SenecaFallsRedux @Maireas
thank you that’s very sweet of you,it was a long time ago now and tbh I was never close to my Nan but it would have a been a great comfort to my mother to have the rings which were not worth very much money, just sentimental value.

[Spudlet]

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast

I used to work in a hospital - we too would have patients losing their possessions from their bedside lockers to light-fingered bastards. Honestly, people who would do that are truly the lowest of the low.

[QueryA]

My MIL’s wedding ring went missing whilst she was dying in hospital 🙁. Probably stolen. Fortunately we had taken her engagement ring a week or so before.

I hope the royal family get a wee break from it all and then launch themselves into lots of events so we can see lots of lovely outfits and hopefully jewels.

my bet is on 26th May for a coronation 👑

[Maireas]

@667TheNeighbourOfTheBeast

@NiqueNique @SenecaFallsRedux @Maireas
thank you that’s very sweet of you,it was a long time ago now and tbh I was never close to my Nan but it would have a been a great comfort to my mother to have the rings which were not worth very much money, just sentimental value.

Yes, it's not the money, is it? These things have sentimental value.
They can't steal your mum's memories, though 🌺

[Maireas]

I was touched by this image, Anne must have been wrecked, but she's concerned for her dear brother

[gluenotsoup]

He looks exhausted.

[Spudlet]

They both do. Such a lot to process in such a public way.

I kept thinking as I watched them all
meeting people and shaking hands - I hope it felt like a comfort and not a burden. It must be very strange to be grieving so personally and then to be in effect comforting people who are still grieving, but in a much less acute and personal way.

[SheldonesqueIsUnderwhelmed]

I do hope they found it comforting to see how much their mam was loved. That picture is full of sorrow but also of love maireas

It isn’t the same of course but we all got a huge amount of comfort when my granda died (similar age) and all his chums from the Legion and his club turned up despite the overnight snow.

We were extremely moved to see that they had every intention of doing him proud and traipsing to the graveside. How did we know?

They had tucked their best suit into their gardening wellies. Forever grateful that he too got the send off he deserved. No crown. Just a bunnet on the lid. 😊

[Maireas]

A bunnet on the lid 😊
That's lovely, and what nice fellas from the Legion!
I think that there's so much hatred and division around, that it's nice to see care and love. When all of the royals were doing the walkabouts, they all thanked the crowds and took care to look at the flowers and messages.
I think these things are of great comfort and it's special to think that your loved one was valued. Queen or commoner.

[BeaLola]

I was wondering whether the Queen's engagement ring would go to Anne or Sophie ?

[Pallisers]

Can anyone lead me to the story of Mary Queen of Scots earrings being in the state crown? I can't find anything about it online (and am outside the US so can't see the BBC documentary online :( )

[NiqueNique]

@Pallisers you should be able to find the programme on YouTube.

[NiqueNique]

(Unless maybe there are restrictions outside of the U.K. Didn’t think about that....)

[Maireas]

The Imperial State Crown is a wonder to behold! It contains the Black Prince's ruby, and the Stuart Sapphire among other wonderful gems.
The provenance of the (many) pearls has been under dispute, but some have been traced back to MQoS when she was in exile. Some of her jewels were pawned, others gifted. Two inventories support the fact that a pair are at the top of the Crown. They look slightly unmatched, but it doesn't mean that they weren't worn as a pair.
It'll have to be slightly remodelled for Charles, as the band was reduced for Elizabeth.

[Pallisers]

thank you Mairais! And NiqueNique. Will look on youtube

[FawnDrench]

@NiqueNique
Re the pearls in the State crown, I found this -

Before becoming part of the imperial state crown, these four pearls have belonged to many famous historical figures. Per the Royal Collection Trust, these gems are believed to be some of the seven pearls that Catherine de Medici received as a wedding present from Pope Clement VII when she tied the knot with Henri II of France in 1533. Catherine de Medici later gave the pearls to Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary had moved in with de Medici and her family when she was only 5 years old, according to National Museums Scotland. Mary had been betrothed to de Medici's son, who was the heir to the French throne. When the two married, Mary received the pearls as a present from her mother-in-law.


The four pearls reportedly changed hands again when Mary was imprisoned at the orders of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England, in 1569. These gems allegedly earned their current name — Queen Elizabeth's earrings — when they were sold to Elizabeth I. According to the Royal Collection Trust, however, some of this story may be false as two of the pearls didn't become part of the collection until the 1800s. Elizabeth I also wasn't a fan of earrings, so she probably wore them in her hair or on her clothes. One thing is for certain: Her more contemporary counterpart, Queen Elizabeth II, definitely shared her love of pearls and frequently loved to wear pearl earrings

[Princessglittery]

Completely new to this series of threads so forgive me if this has been asked on a previous thread.

When the King became the Prince of Wales he was crowned with a coronet. Is there a matching coronet for the Princess of Wales?

[Maireas]

Is that the one where the Queen is describing the Crown, @NiqueNique? I thought that was fascinating.
I have my eye on that fabulous Black Prince's ruby 😍

[GuyFawkesDay]

It's not actually a ruby, it's a spinel. Looks similar but chemically different.

Rubies and sapphires are the same stone but different trace elements give them their colour