When Prince Philip proposed to Queen Elizabeth II in the summertime of 1946, after getting an enthusiastic blessing from her father, King George VI, he did so with one of the vital iconic engagement rings in existence right now. The longer term queen rapidly accepted her beloved husband-to-be’s proposal piece, which consisted of a three-carat heart stone flanked by 10 further diamonds (embedded into raised shoulders) all set in platinum. The ring, which the couple debuted to the world the next summer time, was stunning but additionally significant; the gem stones had been sourced from a tiara that Prince Philip’s mom wore on her personal wedding ceremony day. Everybody knew then that it was a hoop for the ages—which begs the query, the place, precisely, is it now?
Understanding Royal Guidelines of Jewellery Inheritance
Within the time since Queen Elizabeth’s demise on September 8, 2022, many have speculated about who the late monarch may need left her most treasured piece of jewellery to—along with the remainder of her in depth trove, a mixture of each crown jewels (which quantity to over 100 objects and 23,000 gem stones, per the Historic Royal Palaces’ web site; these are owned by the nation and, by default, King Charles) and her non-public assortment (a number of shops estimate this at round 300 to 400 items sturdy). “The important thing distinction between the crown jewels and the queen’s non-public assortment is that the non-public assortment we all know a lot much less about,” Kate Nicholl, Leisure Tonight’s royal professional, defined in 2022. “These are items which are given to the queen over her reign, however the crown jewels belong to the monarch. They keep safeguarded on the Tower of London for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are instantly handed to their inheritor.”
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Because the late queen’s engagement ring is not thought-about a crown jewel, understanding who would stand to inherit it isn’t extensively understood. Although there was probably a “hierarchy” in place when it got here time to divide Elizabeth’s non-public assortment, says Nicholl, the general public wouldn’t essentially know who acquired what (until, after all, royals had been noticed sporting a telltale tiara throughout outings). In response to Nicholl, Queen Camilla was first in line to pick out her picks, adopted by Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex; Sophie, the Countess of Wessex (who’s married to Queen Elizabeth’s son, Edward) was in all probability additionally included, The Sydney Morning Herald reviews.
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Who Inherited Queen Elizabeth’s Engagement Ring?
Although we cannot actually know who inherited Queen Elizabeth’s engagement ring till somebody says so (or wears it in public!), we’ve a couple of probably theories.
Princess Anne
Choosing a couple of of the monarch’s favourite necklaces and bracelets, nonetheless, could be very totally different than inheriting her prized engagement ring, which she wore consistently all through her life; she was buried together with her Welsh gold wedding ceremony band, an one other accent she by no means took off. It’s greater than probably {that a} piece that particular was left to somebody outdoors of that aforementioned pecking order completely: Queen Elizabeth’s daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal. This might turn out to be the third proposal piece in Anne’s assortment (she obtained her first from her first husband, Mark Phillips, and the second years later from her present partner, Timothy Laurence).
As for what she would doubtlessly do with it? It appears unlikely that she would cross the piece on to her older youngsters; her daughter Zara Tindall tied the knot in 2011 and her son, Peter Phillips, is lately divorced. Their youngsters, nonetheless, may very well be potential inheritors.
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Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie each referred to as Queen Elizabeth grandmother—however the former (and the elder of the 2!) has a major wedding ceremony connection to the late monarch: She wore one in every of her favourite robes to her shock wedding ceremony to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on July 17, 2020, in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In actual fact, the classic costume was created by the exact same designer, Norman Hartnell, who made Queen Elizabeth’s precise wedding ceremony costume, which she wore to wed Prince Philip in 1947.
Although Beatrice, who was very near the queen (she affectionately referred to as her “grannie”), has by no means been vocal about what she inherited from her within the wake of her demise, we would not be stunned if her prized engagement ring is now in her possession. It might be a sentimental and becoming reward for Beatrice to inherit such an necessary wedding-related piece from the queen, contemplating the truth that she took so many steps to incorporate her grandmother’s nuptials in her personal. It might even be an unimaginable heirloom for her increasing household: Beatrice, who’s presently anticipating her second little one, might cross on the bauble to her daughter, Sienna, or her soon-to-arrive infant, ought to they tie the knot sooner or later.
No One (But)
If Queen Elizabeth’s engagement ring wasn’t left on to Anne, it was probably returned to a safe vault for safekeeping; in line with E! Information, this hiding place is reportedly 40 ft beneath Buckingham Palace. On this state of affairs, we’ve one other query to ponder: Will it stay there eternally or will or not it’s handed on to a senior royal within the making?
Princess Charlotte looks like a probable candidate, when the time is true—nevertheless it’s potential that Prince George or Prince Louis would possibly suggest to a future bride with their great-grandmother’s souvenir. “Whoever will get to put on that ring goes to be very, very particular, certainly,” Nicholl defined. “I’d think about, presumably, maybe for Princess Charlotte. We’ll have to attend and see.”