From “Nizam of Hyderabad” to “Granny's Chips”, a brief history on the Queen’s brooch collection

The Queen is rarely seen without a brooch pinned to her brightly-coloured public-facing coats and dresses. Not only an elegant outfit adornment, the delicate jewels are steeped in royal history. The Cullinan V, IV and III brooches, for example, feature diamonds from the Cullinan collection. Elizabeth inherited the famous gemstones from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953, who adapted the Delhi Durbar Tiara to make the III and IV brooches in 1912. The set also includes the largest clear-cut diamond in the world, the Cullinan I, which is mounted in the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, while the second-largest is featured in the Imperial State crown. 

One of Queen Elizabeth’s most sentimental brooches—the Six Petal Diamond Flower brooch—was reportedly given to her by the household staff for her 21st birthday. She wore the jewel in the years prior to becoming queen, and it remains a firm favourite in her collection today. 

The Queen chose an intricate diamond and turquoise brooch for her most recent public address during the coronavirus pandemic. The piece was gifted to her grandmother, Queen Mary, on the day of her wedding to King George V in 1893, and was inherited by Elizabeth at the time of her coronation. The Queen has rarely been seen wearing it, and some have speculated that she chose to wear it for her landmark televised speech due its longstanding history in the collections of monarchs who have faced national difficulties—Queen Mary, for example, supported her husband, King George V, throughout the First World War.  

Below, a brief history of a selection of Queen Elizabeth II’s storied brooches.

The story originally appeared  on Vogue.co.uk