Queen Elizabeth Opens Her Jaw-Dropping Personal Jewelry Box to the Public for Platinum Jubilee
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Kirsty Wigglesworth/Getty Queen Elizabeth in her Diamond Diadem
Queen Elizabeth is giving us a rare peek into her own jewelry box — and it's quite the dazzling display!
As part of her historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the Queen is loaning several pieces of her personal jewelry to the Royal Collection Trust to exhibit at the various royal palaces this summer. An array of brooches, which the Queen often wears as a symbolic nod to her hosts during official Commonwealth tours, will be displayed alongside the Queen's Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate — as well as her famous Diamond Diadem — in the U.K.
At Windsor Castle from July 7 to September 26, the Queen's majestic Norman Hartnell-designed Coronation Dress and her purple silk velvet Robe of Estate will be shown alongside five brooches that represent the emblems of the Commonwealth as a nod to the same floral emblems embroidered by hand onto the dress.
Royal Collection Trust The Coronation Dress of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
"I think it serves to underline the significance of emblematic design and iconography of the coronation dress, but at the same time it's really supporting that message of the Queen as head of the Commonwealth and the fact that she has really devoted so much of her reign to that," Caroline de Guitaut, deputy surveyor of the Queen's works of art and curator of the exhibition, tells PEOPLE.
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The brooches include the Canadian Maple-Leaf Brooch made by Asprey & Co, which was worn by Princess Elizabeth on her first visit to Canada in 1951. Later loaned to both Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall and Kate Middleton, the piece is instantly recognizable.
Mark Large - Pool/Getty Images Kate Middleton wearing the Maple Leaf brooch in Canada 2011
The Flame-Lily Brooch, which represents the national flower of Zimbabwe and Zambia, will be exhibited The brooch is particularly poignant, as it was pinned to the Queen's mourning clothes when she arrived back in Britain from Kenya after the news of her father's death in 1952.
Royal Collection Trust The Queen's Flame Lily Brooch
Also in the collection is the Queen's Australian Wattle Brooch, presented to Elizabeth by the government and people of Australia on the monarch's first visit there in 1954. As one of the larger brooches in the Queen's collection, it is often worn for celebratory events, such as the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla in 2005.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images The Queen at the Wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005
The New Zealand Silver Fern Brooch, which the Queen loaned to Kate for her tour there with Prince William in 2014, is also among those on display. And lastly, the vibrant Sri Lanka Brooch set — featuring pink, blue and yellow sapphires, garnets, rubies and aquamarine — which was gifted to the Queen in 1981, will sparkle on exhibit too.
Royal Collection Trust
At Buckingham Palace, the Queen's famous Diamond Diadem — with 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds, two rows of pearls and diamonds set in the form of a rose, a thistle and two shamrocks to represent England, Scotland and Ireland — will be on display alongside official portraits of The Queen taken by photographer Dorothy Wilding just weeks after the Accession. Inherited by Queen Victoria in 1821, the Queen regularly wears the impressive crown to the State Opening of Parliament.
Royal Collection Trust The Queen in her Diamond Diadem
Alongside the historic crown will be the Queen's Delhi Durbar necklace, which she inherited in 1953, the year of her coronation. The spectacular necklace features nine emeralds originally owned by Queen Mary's grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge, as well as an 8.8-carat diamond pendant cut from the Cullinan diamond – the largest diamond ever mined. The significant jewels will be on display from July 22 through to October 2 as part of the summer opening of the palace.
Royal Collection Trust The Queen's Delhi Durbar Necklace
At the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, from July 3 to September 25, visitors will be able see a display of outfits worn by Her Majesty on occasions to celebrate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees and gifts presented during official engagements in Scotland.
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The Jubilee weekend, celebrating the Queen's record-breaking 70 years on the throne, kicks off on June 2 with Trooping the Colour, where the royal family is expected to make an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. The Queen is also expected to attend the Derby, one of her favorite horse race events, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, a carnival-style celebration during which many artists, including Ed Sheeran, will perform.
