The jewels she loaned — but never wore_ Inside Elizabeth II’s hidden vault

What happens to a queen's jewels when she decides not to wear them? We're used to seeing Queen Elizabeth II in her famous tiaras and pearls. But what about the treasures that spent years, even decades, gathering dust in the furthest corners of her vault? Today, we're descending into the deepest and most mysterious parts of the royal collection. To a place where you'll find tiaras that were left unworn by three queens in a row. Chokers that, it seems, she simply disliked. And jewels with a past so complicated, the queen herself seemed hesitant to touch them. This isn't a story about the jewels we saw in the queen, but about the ones she generously loaned to others, allowing them to shine in her place. These are the stories of the royal jewels with the most tangled and personal fates. Our journey into the secrets of the vault begins with a tiara so mysterious, it's almost a ghost. A jewel with an impeccable royal pedigree that has been passed down through generations, yet seems to have been quietly avoided by three queens in a row. This is the story of the Tech Crescent Tiara. Its story starts with Queen Mary's mother, the formidable Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Tech. She was a granddaughter of King George III, a larger-than-life personality, with a great love for jewels. She created this tiara from diamonds left to her by her own aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester. The design is quite dramatic, 20 diamond crescents embracing three wild diamond roses. It's completely unique, a beautiful mix of Victorian sentiment and almost gothic grandeur. After the Duchess of Tech's death, the tiara was inherited by her eldest son, Prince Adolphus. His wife, Margaret, was famously photographed wearing it for the coronation of her brother-in-law, King George V, in 1911. But at some point after that, the tiara made its way back into the main royal line and into the hands of Queen Mary. And this is where the mystery truly begins. To my knowledge, Queen Mary, the great jewelry connoisseur, was never once photographed wearing this spectacular piece from her own mother's collection. Instead, she passed it along to her daughter-in-law, the future Queen Mother. And while the Queen Mother did wear it on a handful of occasions in the late 1930s, most notably during the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939, it was never one of her favorites. After that tour, it was tucked away, vanishing from public view for over 60 years. When Queen Elizabeth II inherited it from her mother in 2002, the silence continued. She too never wore it. So that's three queens, Mary, the Queen Mother, and Elizabeth II, all of whom owned this historic tiara, and none of whom made it their own. But the story doesn't end there. We know from various reports that after her marriage to Prince Charles, this very tiara was one of the pieces given to Camilla on a long-term loan. Yet, in all her years as Duchess of Cornwall, and now as Queen, she has never worn it in public. It just makes you wonder, doesn't it? What is it about this tiara? Is its design too old-fashioned? Is it uncomfortable to wear? Or does it carry some hidden story that makes royal ladies keep it at arm's length? It remains one of the greatest puzzles in the Royal Vault. But if the Tech Crescent is a puzzle, our next tiara is a true detective story. A jewel so elusive, its very existence is debated among royal watchers. Meet the Queen Mother's Double Meander Tiara. Its story is believed to begin with that incredible treasure trove of jewels left to the Queen Mother by the Society Hostess Dame Margaret Greville in 1942. And here is the first part of the mystery. The Queen Mother, a woman who adored grand tiaras, and was photographed in them constantly, was never, not once, seen wearing this piece. For decades, it was simply a name on an inventory list, a ghost in the collection. Its only confirmed public appearance wasn't on a royal head at all, but behind glass when the Queen Mother loaned it to a modern jewelry exhibition at Goldsmiths Hall in London in 1961. And then, for another 44 years, complete silence. For a long time, it seemed to be one of those grand but perhaps unwearable pieces, simply locked away in the vault, until a state banquet in 2005. At a dinner for the President of China, a grainy, long-distance photograph captured Princess Anne wearing a tiara that looked remarkably familiar. Take a look at this photo. It's blurry, indistinct, but those two rows of diamond meanders, that distinctive shape, the resemblance is uncanny. Could this be the long-lost double meander tiara? We just don't know for sure. The Palace has never confirmed it. Was it a one-time loan from her mother's collection? Or perhaps a private gift from her grandmother that she had kept hidden all these years? It's a fascinating mystery, and it really shows how some jewels live their lives in the shadows, leaving us to piece their story together from the briefest of glimpses. But a monarch's taste isn't just about personal memories. Sometimes it's about a simple, fundamental preference for a certain style. And when it came to Queen Elizabeth II, there was one style of necklace she famously seemed to dislike. The choker. I'm always so curious about things like this. What do you all think of chokers? I have to admit, I absolutely love them on other women. On a long, elegant neck, a choker can look incredibly regal and sophisticated. But personally, I just can't wear them. I always feel a sense of discomfort when something is wrapped too tightly around my neck. I don't know for certain why the Queen avoided chokers, but I can certainly understand why she might have. And her aversion to this particular style created some of the most interesting stories of lending in her entire collection. Let's start with a jewel that has a wedding story and a wonderful little mystery attached. This is Queen Mary's City of London choker. Its story begins with Queen Mary's own wedding in 1893. As a gift from the Lord Mayor and the City of London, she received a pair of beautiful pearl and diamond bracelets in an elegant lattice design. But here's the clever part. The two bracelets could be cleverly joined together to be worn as a fashionable choker. It was a lifelong favorite of Queen Mary's, a piece she wore from her early years as Duchess of York right through to her later reign. When the choker was inherited by Queen Elizabeth in 1953, it followed a familiar path. True to her preference, she never wore it as a choker. The trail then goes cold for decades until 2001, when it made a surprise reappearance around the neck of Princess Anne. She wore it to a gala at the Natural History Museum, and again a few years later. It seems the Queen had once again found the perfect wearer for a jewel she herself would not use. But here is where the puzzle begins. A real whodunit for us jewel lovers. In the 1960s, the Queen was photographed wearing a very, very similar pearl and diamond lattice bracelet. So, was she wearing one of the City of London bracelets, proving that she appreciated the design, just not as a choker? Or was it a different, nearly identical bracelet that had belonged to Princess Marie Louise, which the Queen had also inherited? The two pieces are so alike, it's almost impossible to tell for certain from the old black and white photographs. And this wasn't the only choker that the Queen passed on to a new generation. There was another, a piece of sleek art deco glamour, that also waited decades for its moment. Next comes Queen Mary's diamond choker bracelet. Created around the 1920s, it's a stunning piece composed of diamond bars in a clean geometric design. It was one of several diamond chokers in Queen Mary's magnificent collection, and she was famously photographed wearing it in a portrait from that era. Now, it's not entirely clear if it was originally designed to be worn as a bracelet, or if it was modified later, but its jewel identity is key to its story. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the jewel was not seen in public for over 20 years. Then in 1975, it made a surprise reappearance, but not as a choker. The Queen Mother wore it as a wide, glamorous bracelet for a series of portraits taken by Norman Parkinson to mark her 75th birthday. After that, it fell silent once more. When the jewel was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II, she, true to form, never wore it, neither as a choker nor as a bracelet. It remained unworn in the vaults until 2015. For the Chinese state banquet, the Queen loaned the piece to Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, who wore it as a bracelet. It was a perfect choice, its Art Deco elegance adding a touch of vintage glamour to her modern look. She has worn it on several important occasions since, including the diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2018. A jewel designed for the neck in the Jazz Age has found a new life on the wrist in the 21st century. All because the Queen, while not wanting it for herself, saw its potential for a future queen. Next comes a jewel with a very direct imperial connection, a piece that left Russia after the fall of the Romanov dynasty, and eventually found a new home in Britain. But this choker comes with a twist. Knowing the Queen's lifelong aversion to chokers, you would probably expect this one to have gone straight into the vaults. But it became the rare exception to her rule. This is Empress Maria Fyodorovna's Sapphire Choker. Its story begins with a magnificent wedding gift to the future Empress from her British royal relatives. The geometric sapphire and diamond clasp was later set at the heart of this four-row pearl choker, which became one of her most cherished jewels. After the Russian Revolution, it was one of the few treasures she managed to escape with. And after her death, it was purchased by the great collector, Queen Mary. When Queen Elizabeth II inherited it, she did something quite unexpected. On a couple of rare occasions in the early years of her reign, the cameras captured it. The Queen was actually wearing a choker. It was a fleeting moment, however, and the style clearly never became a favorite. She was also seen wearing it as a bracelet. But ultimately, the jewel was destined for someone else. By the early 1970s, the choker had found its perfect wearer, the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne. For Anne, this historic jewel became an absolute signature. She has worn it faithfully for decades, for state banquets, royal weddings, and countless other formal events. It seems to suit her perfectly. And speaking of chokers, we simply cannot move on without talking about the next one. It is perhaps the most famous choker in the entire royal collection, a jewel that became a true icon of style. Its story begins, as so many do, with Queen Mary and the treasures of the British Empire. During the Delhi Durbar in 1911, the ladies of India presented her with a very impressive gift of emeralds. Ten years later, in 1921, with her characteristic eye for reinvention, she had garred transformed the original slightly longer necklace into this stunning Art Deco choker. It's a masterpiece of its time, set with 14 brilliant emeralds in platinum and diamonds. The perfect piece for Mary's signature layered jewel style. The choker was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It simply sat in the vaults, unworn and unseen for decades, waiting for its moment. And that moment arrived in 1981. The Queen gave the choker as a wedding gift, a lifetime loan, to Lady Diana Spencer. And in Diana's hands, the jewel was not just reborn. It was electrified. The Princess of Wales wore it frequently. It's deep green, a stunning compliment to her style. But it was in 1985, during a tour of Australia, that she did something truly unforgettable. She wore the emerald choker not around her neck, but across her forehead as a bandeau. In that moment, she turned a traditional royal choker into something completely unexpected and unforgettable. The choker that had been a gift for an empress and was overlooked by a queen, had finally found the princess who would make it world famous. The last time Diana wore it was for her 36th birthday at the Tate Gallery in July 1997. After her tragic death, the choker returned to the Queen's collection and fell silent once more. It was so strongly linked to her memory that it felt almost impossible to picture anyone else wearing it. Until, in 2022, it made another quiet, respectful return. The new Princess of Wales, Catherine, wore it to the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Boston. It wasn't worn as a bandeau, but as the elegant choker Queen Mary had first envisioned. And it was absolutely breathtaking. Catherine wore this legendary choker with such effortless grace that it seemed to come alive again, its deep emeralds glowing with renewed brilliance. A perfect reminder of how a historic jewel can find new life in the right hands. And how beautifully it complemented Catherine's elegant neck. As though this masterpiece had been waiting for exactly this moment to shine once more. But not every piece in the Queen's collection was destined for such a dramatic, world-famous journey. Some treasures tell a much quieter, more personal story. These are the sentimental gifts, the jewels that waited patiently in the dark, simply for someone to remember them. From grand, famous chokers, let's move to a quieter piece, a beautiful amethyst necklace. Its story begins with one of the most romantic wedding gifts of its time. In 1923, as Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon prepared to marry the future King George VI, she received a special present from the groom's grandmother, Queen Alexandra. It was this long sautoir necklace, with its chains of seed pearls, sparkling diamonds, and beautiful round amethysts. All leading to a large heart-shaped amethyst pendant. It even came with a handwritten note from Queen Alexandra herself, which read, for my dear future granddaughter Elizabeth, from her oft-grandmother. Long sautoir necklaces were all the rage in the 1920s. And while we don't have any photographs of the young Duchess of York wearing this particular piece, written records tell us that Appropriately, she chose it for the mourning period following Queen Alexandra's death in 1925. The choice was deeply symbolic, both because of its sentimental connection to Alexandra, and because purple was an acceptable color for court mourning. But as fashions changed, the long-flowing sautoir fell out of style. And after that brief appearance in the 1920s, the necklace simply disappeared from public view. For almost a century, this beautiful, sentimental gift from Queen Alexandra lay forgotten. After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, the necklace was inherited by Queen Elizabeth, and it too remained in the vaults. It wasn't until 2012 that it finally saw the light of day again. For the London premiere of the James Bond film Skyfall, the then Duchess of Cornwall made a surprise appearance in the historic piece. But it had changed. The necklace had been expertly shortened from its original sautoir length into a more modern, wearable necklace, though all its beautiful original elements remained. For me, it's a wonderful demonstration of how a forgotten treasure can be respectfully updated and brought back to life. A jewel that had been silent for nearly 90 years was sparkling once again under the camera flashes, its story ready to continue with a new generation. And this wasn't a one-time discovery. That brings us to another beautiful piece, this time a sparkling diamond bow. This is the Mrs. Arthur James Bow Brooch. Its story begins back in 1923 as another wedding gift to the future Queen Mother. This one came from one of her godmothers, Mary Venetia James, a cousin of her own mother, and a prominent society figure in her own right. The brooch is a delicate, elegant diamond bow with a quatrefoil element in the center, and it became one of the Queen Mother's lifelong favorites. She wore it for decades, for everything from grand daytime events to more solemn occasions. In fact, at the age of 98, she was still wearing this very brooch for a visit to the field of After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, the brooch was inherited by Queen Elizabeth. And here again, we see that familiar pattern. The Queen, it seems, never wore it. Instead, the brooch quietly waited for its next wearer. That debut came in 2005, when Camilla, the then Duchess of Cornwall, wore it for the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph. Since then, it has become a regular part of her collection, often chosen for similar solemn events, but also for more joyful ones, like her visit to Pakistan in 2006. But the Queen's role as a lender wasn't just about reviving forgotten heirlooms from her mother's collection. Sometimes she would commission a brand new piece for herself, a jewel perfectly in tune with modern tastes, and then, almost immediately, pass it on to the next generation to make it famous. Now let me take you to the Queen's Japanese pearl choker. Our story takes us to 1975, during the Queen's first state visit to Japan. As a gift, the Japanese government presented her with a set of the finest cultured pearls. A few years later, she commissioned the crown jeweler Gerard to transform them into this beautifully simple four-strand pearl choker, fastened with a gracefully curved central diamond clasp. It's a piece of clean, elegant design that has proven truly timeless. But here's the fascinating twist in its story. The very first person to wear this brand new, personally commissioned piece in public wasn't the Queen. In November 1982, for a banquet at Hampton Court Palace, she loaned the choker to her new daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. Paired with the lover's knot tiara, it looked wonderful on her. The Queen herself did begin wearing it shortly after, for state visits and formal occasions throughout the 80s and 90s. But it never became one of her go-to pieces. It seems that even a choker she had made for herself couldn't quite win her over. A generation later, the choker found its way to Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge. She wore it for the first time in 2017 to celebrate the Queen and Prince Philip's 70th wedding anniversary. But it's her more recent appearances in the choker that are so deeply poignant. She chose to wear it for Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, and then again for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II herself. Our next story takes us to 1966, during an official visit to Britain by the President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan. As a gift, he presented the Queen with this beautiful turquoise necklace. It's a traditional South Asian dalada-har, originally featuring two rows of vibrant turquoise stones, accented with seed pearls and gold elements. The Queen, in a thoughtful diplomatic gesture, wore the new necklace for a gala performance held in the President's honor during that very visit. She paired it with Queen Mary's lover's knot tiara, and it must have been a stunning sight. And that was the one and only time she wore it. Sometime in the early 1970s, the Queen decided to have the necklace altered. With her characteristic practicality, she had it shortened to a single, more wearable row. But the leftover pendants didn't just go back into the vault. They were cleverly transformed into a matching pair of earrings. And this newly reconfigured set was then given to her daughter, Princess Anne. Throughout the 1970s, Princess Anne wore the Pakistani turquoise suite frequently for galas, film premieres, and other formal events. She truly gave this diplomatic gift a new life. It has been seen more rarely in recent years, but it remains a wonderful example of the Queen's approach. A jewel received in her role as monarch, worn once out of respect, and then thoughtfully adapted and passed on to a member of her family, who would wear and appreciate it for years to come. And so we arrive at the most intimate jewels in our story. The earrings. Tiaras are for state occasions. Grand necklaces for banquets. But earrings. Earrings feel much more personal. And the stories of the earrings the Queen chose to lend are some of the most touching. Let's begin with a pair that sparkled with the glamour of the art deco era. The Queen Mother's sapphire and diamond fringe earrings. Now, the exact origin of these earrings is a bit of a mystery. They have this wonderful fringe detail, with a gorgeous deep blue sapphire at the center of each. And the combination of round and baguette diamonds gives them that classic art deco feel. It's been suggested that the stones may have come from a sapphire demi-perure that was given to the Queen Mother as a wedding gift from Queen Mary. But whatever their beginnings, they became a part of the Queen Mother's collection. And she began wearing them around the 1960s for elegant black tie evenings, though they were never one of her most frequent choices. After she passed away, the earrings were inherited by Queen Elizabeth II. But for 13 years, they remained in the vaults, completely unseen. Then in October 2015, they made a surprise return. Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, wore them for a gala dinner at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Since that debut, they have become a key part of her evening wardrobe, chosen for state banquets and important receptions. Again, we see the same pattern, a jewel quietly waiting in the vaults until a new generation brings it back to life. And if those sapphire earrings tell a story of glamour, our next pair tells one of simple, classic elegance. These are the Queen's diamond frame earrings. The design is just beautiful. A floral cluster stud with a pendant of four graduating diamonds suspended within a delicate diamond frame, just like the sapphire earrings. Their exact provenance is a mystery, but they have been in the Queen's collection for a number of years. But what's so fascinating is how rarely the Queen herself wore them. We saw them on her in May 2012 for the state opening of Parliament, and again a year later for Garter Day at Windsor. Just a couple of appearances at very formal daytime ceremonies. And then, in 2016, the earrings were loaned to Catherine, the then Duchess of Cambridge, and in her hands they have been anything but rare. They have become one of her most trusted and frequently worn pairs. She has chosen them for everything from trooping the colour and royal weddings to formal dinners. But perhaps their most significant moment came when Catherine selected them for one of her official 40th birthday portraits, a choice that cemented their place in a new generation's history. And their story continues to unfold. Most recently, she chose them again for the magnificent state banquet held at Windsor Castle in September 2025, pairing them beautifully with the Lover's Knot tiara. Here again we have a piece that, while beautiful, perhaps didn't quite fit the Queen's personal style, but has now found its home with Catherine. But what of the jewels that appear so briefly? They almost feel like a dream. Our final story is a quieter one, a little more bittersweet. It's about a pair of earrings that had just one fleeting moment with the Queen, and another with a young princess, before disappearing into silence. These are the Queen's pear-drop diamond earrings, composed of two large, beautiful, pear-shaped diamonds suspended from smaller, brilliant-cut stones. They were made during the Queen's reign, likely by Gerrards in 1960, using stones already in her collection. And here is the heart of their quiet, almost melancholy story. The Queen was photographed wearing them on a handful of occasions in the late 1960s, including the 1968 premiere of a film about Lord Mountbatten. But they were never a favourite, and after that brief period, they were never seen on her again. For years, they simply waited. Then, in 1983, the Queen loaned the earrings to her new daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, for her very first tour of Australia and New Zealand. For a young princess stepping onto the world stage for the first time, these elegant, classic diamond drops were the perfect choice. She wore them for a grand banquet in Auckland, paired with her Spencer tiara. And just a few days later, she chose them again, this time with the magnificent Lover's Knot tiara. And after that tour, they vanished once more. They haven't been publicly worn by anyone since. These beautiful, classic diamond earrings. They feel so unfairly forgotten, as if they never quite found their place or their champion. They had one fleeting moment with the Queen, a brief burst of glamour, with a young Diana on the other side of the world. And then, just silence. I do hope that one day, we'll see them brought out of the vaults again, to finally have the long and brilliant life they deserve. I love that even the pieces that never suited the Queen's own taste, were not locked away forever, but quietly lent to others, so they could have their moment in the light. Which jewel would you most like to see brought out of the vault again? And do you think we'll see more of these quiet treasures on loan in the years to come? Thank you so much for watching, and for spending this time with me. If you enjoyed this journey, please give the video a like and subscribe, so you don't miss the next story from the Royal Jewel Box.