Queen Camilla, the jewels in the casket of the queen to come

Perhaps because we are used to seeing her with a pair of jeans at home, a Barbour for walks in the countryside or very simple clothes in her formal commitments, we have never dwelt too much on Camilla’s jewelry collection. Every sparkle of Kate makes a noise and as for the queen, as soon as we see a diamond, we run to see what the story or the hidden message of that jewel on display is.
Despite the hype that accompanied her decades ago, the Duchess of Cornwall is a discreet woman and, perhaps also for this reason, we pay less attention to her dazzling royal apparatus.

Now that in the message that marks the beginning of the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee, the queen blessed her daughter-in-law with the gift of the title of “queen consort” when Charles ascends the throne, his casket makes us even more curious.
This is also because the usual well-informed have already dropped the bomb: Queen Camilla for the coronation ceremony of the consort will have the right to wear the crown worn by the queen mother in 1937, that of when her husband was appointed King George VI. It is a great “honor” made of platinum and 2800 diamonds with a cross that holds the famous Koh-i-Noor 105 carat.

After all Camilla has already become familiar with the Queen Mother’s jewels as she has been wearing them for some time as long-term loans granted by Queen Elizabeth. The last in order of appearance is the brooch pinned to the light blue dress sported on the occasion of the red carpet for the James Bond film No Time To Diea piece that even belonged to Queen Victoria.

It is also from the Queen Mother the diamond thistle worn for the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 2021: Elizabeth’s mother commissioned a brooch in the shape of the national flower of Scotland which she often used as an ornament for her hats as she did with the Art Deco brooch in diamonds, onyx and crystalalso available to the Duchess.

A fil rouge that directly connects Camilla with the queen mother, even if Carlo’s grandmother did not like the great love of her grandson, is the so-called Greville collection. It is a much discussed legacy that one socialite well inserted in the court, Margaret Greville, had it delivered to Elizabeth’s mother in 1942 in a black tin box. Inside were treasured jewels of inestimable value of which it is whispered there is still much more to discover.

The Duchess of Cornwall, on the other hand, has often and willingly drawn on it also because there is a real gossip behind this whole thing. Margaret’s husband was the captain Ronald Grevillea close friend of the then Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria, who later ascended the throne under the name of Edward VII.
The Grevilles were known for their exclusive parties where they also offered hospitality to clandestine love stories such as the one between the king and Alice Keppel which, look at the case, is the famous one Camilla’s great-grandmother on which a joke is also made about The Crown. Maybe that’s why Camilla doesn’t have much qualms about wearing part of that collection and it seems the two have a lot of fun remembering the ancient bond.

In fact, the honeycomb shaped tiara by Boucheron (also known as Honeycomb tiara or Greville tiara), subsequently amended by Cartier with the addition of a few diamonds, with an estimated value of around 3 million pounds. There is also the impressive diamond necklace called Diamond Festoon Necklace that the queen mother wore, in reduced form (three threads out of five) also for her hundredth birthday.
And then we have the engagement ring: although the jewel was dismissed as a “royal heirloom” at the time, there are good reasons to think that the Art Deco ring dating back to the 1930s could have belonged to Margaret Greville, godmother among the other than Sonia Keppel in CubbitCamilla’s grandmother.

If this were really the story, in a way, justice has been restored to an ancient love story – the one between Edward VII and Alice Keppel – culminating in a legitimate title for the descendant of that girl much loved by the socialite, strategist and perhaps even a bit of a witch if we connect all the dots scattered in over a century of real intrigue. There are those who think that one day it will be Camilla, precisely by virtue of this bond, who will shed light on the mysterious collection. We obviously can’t wait to find out more.

Camilla has turned the spotlight on jewels from her personal collection. Certainly among the most prestigious pieces is the tiara Cubitt-Shand who had even shown off at the wedding with Andrew Parker Bowleswhen it seemed that the marriage with Carlo had nothing to do.

Obviously, they are not lacking in Camilla’s casket the gifts of the devoted Carlo. The Duchess loves pearl chokers very much, there are those who count at least five or six. The one with the central topaz is a gift from her husband as well as, probably, the snake-shaped necklace in platinum and diamonds. Among the precious tokens of love, there are several commissioned to Van Cleef & Arpels like the brooch in the shape of a ballerina and apparently the earrings Magic Alhambra of diamonds.
However, the more opulent sets seen on Camilla should be gifts received from the Saudi royal family. Among these it seems to be worth mentioning sumptuous jewelery masterpieces such as ruby, emerald and sapphire necklaces.

There is a pin that has caused a certain sensation among the very attentive royal observers, especially those still linked to the memory of Diana. Three times, the Duchess of Cornwall would have chosen from the queen’s jewels an emerald brooch that belonged to Queen Alexandradating back to 1863, appeared on the neck of the Princess of Wales on numerous occasions.

The uniqueness of the jewel, given not only by the carats but also because it was worn by two members of the royal family, would increase its value which currently stands at 100 thousand pounds. The two women apparently shared not only a passion for Carlo but also for emerald pendants. But only one managed to take both the promise of the crown and the coveted prince. Who knows what surprises Camilla will reserve for us, once we have obtained the keys to the vault real, the day she becomes Queen. We are here waiting for you at the gate, sorryto the royal throne.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that may interest you:

– The Greville collection, intrigues and diamonds among the joys of Queen Elizabeth
– Kate and the Queen’s jewels: all this will one day be hers
– Camilla’s usual clothes