Distribution of Jewels in the British Royal Family

[AdmirerUS]

Artemisia - put aside the issue of taxes largely precluding "gifting" gems from the Crown Collection. I do have a question.

Can Elizabeth as Queen gift any of the royal collection excepting the crown jewels as she sees fit? Or can she dispose of them in any way she pleases? Are they hers to do with as she wishes? Or does the designation as part of the crown collection limit her (and Charles when he becomes King) in any way? They do belong to "the state," but what does that mean?

For example, should she have a need to raise money for the kind of royal residence renovations required after the fire at Windsor - could she have sold off bits of the collection? Could she sell pieces for cash, would they be subject to taxation and would that exemption extend if, for example, the cash were used to buy homes for Harry's hypothetical children? Or to put geothermal heat in all royal residences?

I ask purely out of curiosity.

In general, in addition to the tax avoidance issues, I do realize (despite the transparency legislation enacted in the 90s) that there is no way of knowing what all is in the royal collection. If things were broken up and sold or gifted, and were not some the obviously identifiable large gems, that this could be done quite easily. I don't think it is done, mind you, but I do wonder.

 

[Artemisia]

The Queen obviously can't touch the Crown Jewels, which includes a number of jewels left by previous Queens and Kings to be in the possession of the subsequent Monarchs only (for example, Queen Victoria left quite a few fabulous items of jewellery to be worn only by subsequent Queens, Regnant and Consort).

However, as far as Her Majesty's personal jewellery collection goes - and that compromises the bulk of the jewels possessed by the British Royal Family - she can pretty much do as she pleases. She can leave the jewels to any member of her family, can sell them or donate to museums - it's basically up to her.

That has happened before; Queen Victoria, Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra left a sizeable portion of their immense jewellery collections to their children other than the next Monarch.

As you said, no one (at least, no one that would be inclined to share the information) can actually point out the number of jewels in Her Majesty's personal collection. It is well possible that the Queen has in fact sold some of the jewels and/or gems in her collection (the ones she no longer had need or want for) over the yeas, but done so discreetly, from "anonymous seller".

 

[Duke-of-Earl]

"Queen Victoria, Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra left a sizeable portion of their immense jewellery collections to their children other than the next Monarch" ---

Most of the jewellery was subsequently sold to pay death taxes though, if I'm not mistaken. I know the Kents sold pretty much everything they were gifted.

I can't see HM giving away much of her private collections because of this very reason. Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie and others have no use for fancy jewellery, so if I were advising the Queen, I would keep it all for Charles and then William.

 

[Artemisia]

Oh, I quite agree with you. Quite aside from auctions, taxes on inheritance in Britain are monstrously high so leaving anything (jewellery, works of art, antiques and similar) to anyone but Charles would be just foolhardy.

I have no doubts the Queen has made provisions for all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren but they probably involve complex trust funds (assets locked in trust funds will not be taxed). It is also possible the Queen will give (or has already given) some minor jewels or pieces of art to her other family members, or will ask Prince Charles to do so (gifts made during lifetime are also exempt from taxes up to a certain sum or in certain circumstances such as wedding ones).

The Queen Mother left all of her entire estate estimated at £50 million to her daughter for that very reason, although she also made sure children and grandchildren other than the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William are well provided for by means of the aforementioned trust funds.


All in all, the Queen will almost certainly leave everything to the next Monarch - Charles. Not only to avoid paying 40% in taxes (and that's just the inheritance one) but also to keep the collection intact.

 

[branchg]

It would be nice, but I don't see it happening until Catherine becomes Princess of Wales. Charles inherited an enormous amount of the QM's jewels, and he has gifted a lot of it to Camilla.

Charles did not inherit anything from The Queen Mother as all of her property, including her jewels, were left to The Queen in a sovereign-to-sovereign transfer to avoid estate duty. Of course, once he is King, he will inherit the entire collection of royal jewels as the new Sovereign.

The Queen has granted Camilla the use of many of her mother's jewels, the majority of which was inherited from the Greville bequest or gifted by Queen Mary. The royal jewels her mother used as Consort were returned as these were left to the Crown by Queen Victoria to be worn in right of it.

 

[camelot23ca]

I'm currently reading the recently published collection of The Queen Mother's letters, ("Counting One's Blessings"), and there's a letter dated June 1944 that she wrote to then Princess Elizabeth with instructions as to what should be done with her things in case she, (Queen Elizabeth), was, as she puts it, "done in" by the Germans. She writes, "I think that I have left all my own things to be divided between you and Margaret, but I am sure you will give her anything suitable later on - such as Mrs. Greville's pearls, as you will have the Crown ones." And then goes on to suggest a couple of people, (including Queen Mary), she thought would be helpful if the princess ran into trouble.

Just a small tidbit of information, and obviously the exact planned distribution of the jewellery would have changed by the time The Queen Mother died decades later, but IMO it does give a hint of her mindset in terms of how things would be given.

 

[branchg]

Queen Alexandra died without a will. Her jewels were divided up by George V and Queen Mary, who gave some pieces to Princesses Victoria and Louise, but the majority were for the royal collection as they were either wedding gifts from Queen Victoria and Edward VII, or from civic bodies honouring her as Princess of Wales.

Queen Mary accumulated an enormous amount of jewels over her long life and many of these were said to be designated in her Will as belonging to the Crown to be worn in right of it. She also left a large amount of jewels to The Queen as personal bequests and these pieces are her personal property.

So, the majority of the collection is actually tied to the Crown to be worn in right of it. The current Queen is likely to designate many more pieces she received from various governments and states as also belonging to the Crown in her Will.

 

[branchg]

Can Elizabeth as Queen gift any of the royal collection excepting the crown jewels as she sees fit?...

These assets you mention are vested in the Crown in trust for the nation. The Sovereign is merely a custodian and trustee of these treasures and they can never be sold or leveraged in any way.

The Queen's personal property consists of her jewels, her art, Balmoral, Sandringham and her investment portfolio. The Duchy of Lancaster also belongs to The Sovereign and provides much of her income.

 

[andrew]

.

Queen Alexandra had left some instructions regarding her jewels, that is how the Rundell tiara ended up with Princess Victoria although it was a wedding gift from Bertie.

 

[Warren]

...the majority of the collection is actually tied to the Crown to be worn in right of it.

That depends on which collection you are referring to. What is known as "the Crown Collection" by its very nature can't be sold, disposed of or dispersed, while the Queen's private collection (comprising the vast majority of her jewels) is hers to do with as she pleases. That being said, and the difference between the two being fairly clear-cut, the term "Crown Collection" has become more ambiguous in recent years. The waters are somewhat muddied as to what is legally owned by the Queen personally as opposed to what belongs to the Crown due to the courtiers at BP having at times used the designator of "Crown Collection" interchangeably in relation to specific pieces. Maybe this "confusion" has been quite deliberate.

 

[branchg]

Most of The Queen's collection is her private property, however, she certainly is likely to designate pieces as belonging to the Crown to be worn in right of it, just as Queen Mary did.

Whether those pieces then become inseparable from the Crown legally or if it's just a statement of intent to preserve them for future Queens is unknown.

 

[Artemisia]

She is likely to do so, but that hadn't been done yet so the Queen is free to distribute her personal jewellery collection in any way she pleases, although it is almost certain most of it will be inherited by the next Sovereign.

 

[JennahPc]

i am honestly upset over the tiaras issue between diana and camilla. i think diana should have been able to use more tiaras. if not given to her at least barrow them. i am sure that the royal family has plenty of tiaras to go around. queen mary own many tiaras and wasnt as cheap with the jewels as her granddaughter is

Diana didn't seem to complain about this lack of tiaras and jewels so I don't understand why it bothers anyone else. She always looked stunning and regal with the tiaras that were at her disposal and the modifications of necklace/choker as head band.

 

[Dman]

If she was still hear today, most likely she would've changed her jewels up a bit.

 

[NGalitzine]

Diana didn't seem to complain about this lack of tiaras and jewels so I don't understand why it bothers anyone else. She always looked stunning and regal with the tiaras that were at her disposal and the modifications of necklace/choker as head band.

I agree, it does seem odd to get worked up about what jewels a woman who died 15 years ago did or did not wear or have access to.

 

[carlfraley]

Queen Alexandra died without a will. Her jewels were divided up by George V and Queen Mary, who gave some pieces to Princesses Victoria and Louise, but the majority were for the royal collection as they were either wedding gifts from Queen Victoria and Edward VII, or from civic bodies honouring her as Princess of Wales.

There is an update about HM Queen Alexandra dying intestate on the royal sartorial website. This explains that QA did leave directions about the dispersal of her jewels. Which is ow Princess Victoria ended up with the "rundell tiara" even though the rest of the parue is still in the possession of HM the Queen.

IMO this doesn't make any sense to me, why break up a beautiful parue, and now the tiara is Gone.
.

 

[ldmemail]

Well it wasn't a 'matching' parure - the tiara was all diamonds in a Greek style. The necklace, brooch and earrings are in diamonds and pearls.
Queen Alexandra didn't even appear to wear it very often in the latter years of her life.

 

[AfricanAUSSIE]

Hahahaha! Well put. My mother has those sentiments exactly! And they have not abated over time. In fact they get worse when she views any photograph of Camila wearing royal jewels Diana once wore.

Her reaction is priceless!

 

[MARG]

Hahahaha! Well put. My mother has those sentiments exactly! And they have not abated over time. In fact they get worse when she views any photograph of Camila wearing royal jewels Diana once wore.

Her reaction is priceless!

I was not aware that Camilla has worn any of the royal jewels Diana once wore. There was a squabble about the POW Feather Brooch, but it turned out there is more than one. Anything else?

 

[AfricanAUSSIE]

I was not aware that Camilla has worn any of the royal jewels Diana once wore. There was a squabble about the POW Feather Brooch, but it turned out there is more than one. Anything else?

Oh dear, I would't have a clue. I guess I will have to remember to ask my Mum when I next visit her. She probably has the photos!!

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I think it speaks for Camilla that she avoids to wear jewels connected to the late Diana. Not that this is too difficult anyway. The previous Princess of Wales had only one diadem from the royal family (the remake of the Cambridge Lovers' Knot Diadem) and the rest were almost all personal bijoux which went to her sons. The other diadem was owned by her brother, the Earl. It is not that Camilla opens a drawer and sees a lot of cassettes: "Oh dear, I can not wear this, and this also not, and that, and over there was worn by her as well..."

 

[Curryong]

Didn't the Sultan of Oman and other Middle Eastern monarchs give Diana fabulous jewellery at the time of her wedding and later in the 1980's during visits with the Prince of Wales? I believe these included parures.

Also I think the Queen Mother gave her several pieces as wedding gifts including a diamond pendant that belonged to Alexandra, and was worn suspended from a pearl choker. Not that it matters, as Diana had no daughters, so these gifts won't leave the royal family.

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know if these parures are in Charles's possession, his sons, or in the royal vaults. If it's the first or the last then they are available to Camilla.

 

[MARG]

If they were wedding gifts the boys have them. It is only relatively recently that overseas gifts had to be reported, but I don't see that relating to wedding gifts which are personal in nature.

Either way, if it was gifted to Diana then the boys have them or their father has them in safekeeping for them. He would never give them to Camilla and she would never wear them.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The bulk of the estate of the late Diana went to her sons. I think most of these jewels will pop up at Prince Harry's future spouse. This because Catherine, the future Duchess of Cornwall and Rothesay, the future Princess of Wales, the future Queen, automatically gets access to all the fabulous jewels. Prince Harry's spouse will not have that access.

What will happen to Camilla's jewels, tja... she has received a fabulous collection in these 10 years and maybe these will go to her stedaughters-in-law too, as they have the most use of these eyecatching pieces.

 

[muriel]

What will happen to Camilla's jewels, tja... she has received a fabulous collection in these 10 years and maybe these will go to her stedaughters-in-law too, as they have the most use of these eyecatching pieces.

Gifts received will end up being part of the Royal Collection, or where appropriate, to the wives of William and Harry. Privately purchased jewels (like her chokers) may end up with her children.

 

[Iluvbertie]

It depends on how the gift is given:


If the gift is given on an official visit then it will end up in the royal collection but if it is given for a personal reason then it is private property e.g. say they visited the Middle East as representatives of the Queen and were given a jewellery collection there that collection would end up in the Royal collection. If that same King sent Camilla a private birthday present of a similar set of jewellery it is Camilla's and up to her where it ends up.


The same with gifts given from crowds while on tours - the gifts given by ordinary people are able to be given away and don't have to be recorded but a gift given officially has to be recorded and can't be given away e.g. the wombat George was given by the Australian GG has to be kept and recorded but gifts given by people in the crowd can be given away, thrown away etc.

 

[Honeybees]

Didn't the Sultan of Oman and other Middle Eastern monarchs give Diana fabulous jewellery at the time of her wedding and later in the 1980's during visits with the Prince of Wales? I believe these included parures.

Also I think the Queen Mother gave her several pieces as wedding gifts including a diamond pendant that belonged to Alexandra, and was worn suspended from a pearl choker. Not that it matters, as Diana had no daughters, so these gifts won't leave the royal family.

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to know if these parures are in Charles's possession, his sons, or in the royal vaults. If it's the first or the last then they are available to Camilla.

I believe you are correct. There was a sapphire watch which was part of one wedding gift, photographed very rarely I believe and then allegedly broken down and transformed into another piece of jewellery and the necklace and earrings with the crescent shape. I believe the jewellery went to The Crown and/or her sons upon her death.

 

[AfricanAUSSIE]

I think that is the one of the gems my Mom mentioned. At least I remember her mentioning that Diana wore it on her neck and Camila as a broach.

And here it is:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/20...ianas-old-pendant_n_1344613.html?ir=Australia

And then there is the tiara:
On camilla
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/527061962611974634/
On Diana
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...nce-William-clash-Charles-Camilla-tiaras.html

 

[Roslyn]

I think that is the one of the gems my Mom mentioned. At least I remember her mentioning that Diana wore it on her neck and Camila as a broach.

And here it is:
Is Camilla, Duchess Of Cornwall, Wearing Princess Diana's Pendant? (PHOTOS, POLL)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/20...ianas-old-pendant_n_1344613.html?ir=Australia

But it's a different PoW feathers brooch. I think there were a few of them.

I don't think there's any chance Camilla would ever wear the same piece of jewellery that Diana wore.

 

[AfricanAUSSIE]

It certainly looks like she wore the same tiara at least. And I am seeing it in a lot of Diana's official portraits over the years!

Tacky really, considering how many others are available for use.