Platinum Jubilee 2022: the Queen’s jewellery to go on display

Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2022

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, incredible jewellery from the Queen’s personal collection will go on display at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse

As each palace celebrates this year’s Platinum Jubilee, a different historic occasion in Her Majesty’s 70-year reign will be explored in their individual displays – the Accession, the Coronation and previous jubilees. Visitors to each royal residence will be able to see photographs, paintings, works of art and items of the Queen’s dress and jewellery up close.

Buckingham Palace

In Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms, which will be open this summer for the first time since 2019, official photographic portraits of the Queen taken by Dorothy Wilding, just weeks after Her Majesty’s Accession will be on display, alongside items of jewellery which were worn for the portrait sittings.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession will be at the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from Friday, 22 July to Sunday, 2 October 2022. Book tickets here. 

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Portrait by Dorothy Wilding. Her Majesty wears the Diamond Diadem. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2022

This will include the Diamond Diadem, which is one of Her Majesty’s most widely recognised pieces of jewellery as it featured on the Queen’s image on postage stamps (taken by Wilding) from 1953 until 1971 and the official portrait of Her Majesty which was sent to every British embassy throughout the world. The beautiful Diadem became instantly recognisable to millions of people across the globe.

Created for the notoriously extravagant coronation of George IV in 1821, the diadem is set with 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds, and diamonds set in the form of a rose, a thistle and two shamrocks, the national emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland. The Diadem was passed down to Queen Victoria, and then Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and then, of course, to Her Majesty The Queen, who wore it on the day of her coronation, and has worn it on her journey to and from the State Opening of Parliament since the first year of her reign.

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Her Majesty wearing the Delhi Durbar necklace in a portrait by Dorothy Wilding in 1956. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

Buckingham Palace will also display the world-famous Delhi Durbar necklace, which incorporates nine emeralds originally owned by Queen Mary’s grandmother, and an 8.8. carat diamond pendant cut from the Cullinan diamond, which is the largest diamond ever found. The Queen inherited the necklace in 1953 and wore it in a portrait by Dorothy Wilding in 1956.

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The Delhi Durbar necklace: Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

Windsor Castle

As part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at Windsor Castle, Her Majesty’s favoured royal residence, her Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate will go on display.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Coronation will be at Windsor Castle from Thursday, 7 July to Monday, 26 September 2022. Book tickets here.

Visitors will be able to see Her Majesty’s Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate, worn for her Coronation at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. The incredibly intricate dress and robe feature emblems of the seven independent states of which she was monarch, together with those of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

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The Coronation Dress and Robe of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

Brooches that represent the emblems of Commonwealth countries, that Her Majesty has worn while visiting or meeting representatives of those countries, will also be on display at Windsor Castle. This will include the Canadian Maple-leaf Brooch, worn by Her Majesty on her first visit to Canada in 1951 and the Flame-Lily Brooch (the emblem of Zimbabwe), which was pinned to The Queen’s mourning clothes when she returned to Britain from Kenya after the death of her father in 1952.

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The Queen’s Flame-Lily brooch. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

Edinburgh’s royal residence will celebrate the Platinum Jubilee with a display of outfits worn by Her Majesty to celebrate her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

The Platinum Jubilee display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse will be from 3 July to 25 September 2022. Book tickets here.

Visitors will be able to see the outfit Her Majesty wore for the Silver Jubilee in 1977,  when the royal couturier Sir Hardy Amies designed a striking ensemble of dress, coat and stole in pink silk crêpe and chiffon, with a matching hat designed by Frederick Fox with flowerheads hanging from silk stems.

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The Queen’s Silver Jubilee ensemble. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

For the first time, Her Majesty’s ensemble for her Diamond Jubilee will also be on display, designed by Angela Kelly (Personal Adviser to The Queen (Wardrobe)) and consisting of a pale turquoise dress and coat embroidered with scattered silver flowers, and a matching hat.

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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee ensemble. Credit: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

Read more:

We’ve been counting down to the Platinum Jubilee with 70 fascinating facts about Her Majesty, one for every year of her reign! Read more here. 

For our round-up of events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee that are happening across Britain over the next few weeks, click here.

And to sign our online card for Her Majesty, which we will send to Buckingham Palace before the celebrations begin, click here.