The Most Epic Royal Jewelry in History

For the British royals, jewelry is no mere adornment. From the stones to the settings, everything has significance–be it a political power play, a family heirloom or a national treasure. Here, we take a closer look at the tiaras, earrings, rings, and neckpieces that make up the royal collection.

Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne both wore The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara on their wedding days, and Her Majesty loaned the piece to her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice of York, for her intimate wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The tiara, which many believe was selected due to both it's sentimental significance and its all-diamond design, which complemented the bride's Norman Hartnell gown also on loan from the Queen, marks the first time a modern royal bride has donned a tiara worn by another ancestral royal (let alone two) for her wedding day. According to Town & Country, given Beatrice and Edo's postponement of a larger-scale celebration due to the pandemic, the Queen likely chose this piece with far greater symbolism in mind: to signify the royal family's history, as well as solidarity, strength, and endurance.

The tiara worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day was on loan from the Queen and was originally a wedding anniversary gift from King George VI to his wife Elizabeth (also known as the Queen Mother) in 1936. The Queen Mother then gifted it to the Queen on her 18th birthday. It contains over 1,000 diamonds and was also worn occasionally by Princess Margaret.

The showstopping bandeau tiara worn by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, on her wedding day was made by Garrard in 1925 for the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary. It originally had a sapphire centerpiece, but it has since been changed to a diamond. It was loaned to Meghan by the Queen for her wedding day. The tiara was also worn by the late Princes Margaret, the Queen's sister.

The Delhi Durbar tiara is one of three on loan from the Queen to her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Made by Garrard, it was originally made for Queen Mary in 1911 for a celebration in Delhi to mark the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India.

The Greville tiara was made by Boucheron for Dame Margaret Helen Greville in 1920. It is also known as the Boucheron Honeycomb tiara, and is worn here by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Greville left the tiara to the Queen Mother when she died in 1942, and upon the death of the Queen Mother in 2002, the Queen inherited the headpiece. It is now one of three tiaras on long-term loan to Camilla, who married Prince Charles in 2005.

Also known as Queen Mary's Lover's Knot tiara, this diamond and pearl headpiece was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1913 when she had asked British jeweler Garrard to replicate a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. It was inherited by the Queen, who gave it to Princess Diana when she married Prince Charles, but it was returned to the Queen after the couple divorced in 1996. Today it is owned by the Queen and remains a favorite with the Duchess of Cambridge, who borrows it for special occasions.

The York tiara was worn by Sarah Ferguson when she married Prince Andrew in 1986, and was a wedding gift from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Made by Garrard, Fergie hid it under a flower crown for her journey to Westminster Abbey. She has since split from Andrew, but retains ownership of the tiara. It is the piece most likely to be worn by her daughter, Princess Eugenie, on her wedding day.

This tiara was a wedding gift to the Queen from her mother-in-law, Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark. The Queen gave it to her daughter Princess Anne in 1972, who wore the tiara in her engagement photos with Captain Mark Phillips. It was also worn by Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, on her wedding day in 2011.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara is the headpiece most frequently worn by the Queen–it's even featured in her portrait on British currency. The tiara was a wedding gift from her grandmother, Queen Mary, and the first she owned herself. The tiara was originally a wedding gift for Mary when she married the Duke of York, who later became George V, in 1893. It was from the girls of Great Britain and Ireland, and commissioned by a committee lead by her friend, Lady Eve Greville.

This tiara was worn by Laura Lopes, the daughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, for her wedding in 2006. Camilla also wore it for her first wedding to Andrew Parker-Bowles, and has been pictured in it as recently as 2015.

Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton in 2010 with the same engagement ring Prince Charles gave to the late Princess Diana, who apparently chose the ring herself. The centerpiece is a 12-carat oval sapphire with 14 solitaire diamonds set in a white gold band.

The Queen had the Burmese Ruby tiara made by Garrard in 1973. It features 96 rubies that were gifted to her by Burma (now Myanmar) when she married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The diamonds were also a wedding gift, from the Nizam of Hyderabad, the monarch of the Indian state of Hyderabad.

Prince Harry had Meghan Markle's engagement ring made by Cleave & Company using an ethically-sourced center stone from Botswana, where he and Meghan first vacationed together. The center stone is flanked by two round diamonds from a brooch that belonged to his late mother, Princess Diana.

The Festoon tiara belongs to Princess Anne, who loaned it to her daughter-in-law, Autumn Phillips, for her wedding day. The tiara was originally gifted to Anne in 1973 by the World-Wide Shipping Group after she christened one of its ships.

Unlike other royal brides, Princess Diana wore a tiara from her own family's collection for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, rather than borrowing one from the Queen. Made by Garrard in the 1930s, Diana went on to wear it on subsequent special occasions as well. It was most recently worn by Diana's niece, Celia McCorquadale, for her wedding earlier this year.

The Lotus Flower tiara was made in the 1920s from a dismantled Garrard necklace that King George VI had given the Queen Mother. She gave it to Princess Margaret ahead of her wedding to the Earl of Snowdon in 1959. When Margaret died, it was inherited by the Queen and today it is occasionally worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Prince Charles proposed to Camilla with a diamond ring that was previously owned by his grandmother, the Queen Mother. It boasts a five-carat emerald-cut diamond in an Art Deco setting. It is believed to have been given to her after welcoming her first child, now the Queen.

Princess Margaret wore the Poltimore tiara for her wedding in 1960. The Garrard-made creation dates back to 1870, but the royal purchased it from the Poltimore family herself at auction for around $7,200.

The two diamonds that make up this brooch, affectionately known to the royal family as "Granny's Chips," are stones cut from the gargantuan Cullinan diamond in 1905. Together they amount to 158 carats. The Queen inherited the brooch from her grandmother and wore it for the church service to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

This extravagant creation was made in 1821 for the coronation of King George IV. It was eventually passed down through the generations to the Queen who wore it en route to her coronation in 1953. Her Majesty also wears it for the State Opening of Parliament each year.

Another from the Queen's personal collection, the Kokoshnik tiara is named after the traditional Russian headdress of the same name. It was made by Garrard in 1888 for Alexandra, the then Princess of Wales, to mark her 25th wedding anniversary. Queen Mary inherited the tiara from Alexandra, and the Queen inherited it when Queen Mary died in 1953.

This tiara was almost worn by the Queen on her wedding day, but it broke shortly before the ceremony. It is better known now as the tiara worn by the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, on her wedding day, and does double duty as a necklace too. It was made for Queen Mary in 1919 using diamonds from a tiara that she'd received from Queen Victoria as a wedding gift. Mary later gave the tiara to the Queen Mother, who in turn left it to the Queen.

This aquamarine and diamond necklace and earrings set was made by Mappin & Webb, and was given to the Queen in 1953 by the people and President of Brazil. She later had a matching tiara made by Garrard from an additional collection of Brazilian stones. It's rare in that it reflects the Queen's personal style–most of her other tiaras are heirlooms.

This set is unusual for the Queen in that the setting is gold. The emeralds once belonged to Queen Mary's grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge, and were made into jewelry at the request of Queen Mary for the Delhi Durbar.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a ruby and diamond necklace by jeweler Mouwad at an engagement in 2011.

The Queen's sapphire and diamond earrings and necklace were a wedding gift from her father, George VI, and date back to the Victorian era. The tiara is also from the same era and was purchased in 1963 to coordinate with the necklace and earrings. Its name comes from its original owner, Princess Louise of Belgium.

The Duchess of Cornwall's five-strand pearl choker with a huge pink topaz at the center is believed to be a gift from Prince Charles. She wore the piece for the wedding of her stepson, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle. Camilla is believed to be fond of chokers and wears them regularly.

Camilla's amethyst heart necklace and matching earrings stole the show at the premiere of Skyfall in 2012. The stones were originally given to the Queen Mother when she married in 1923, and were eventually inherited by the Queen.

The Strathmore Rose tiara was given to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon–who would become the Queen Mother–by her father for her wedding to the future King George VI in 1923.

One of the many pieces Prince Albert had made for Queen Victoria, the Oriental Circlet tiara was commissioned in 1853 and was inspired by a collection of Indian jewelry Victoria had owned. Opals had originally been used in lieu of the rubies, which were added later. It was a favorite of the Queen Mother, who left it to the Queen.

When Sophie Rhys-Jones walked down the aisle to marry Prince Edward in 1999, she wore a tiara that had not been seen before. It is believed to be a piece from the Queen's collection that had been reworked for the occasion. Sophie has since worn the tiara for a number of other events.