By Ian Thorley
Queen Camilla opted to wear a diamond necklace for her Coronation with King Charles III.
The necklace was made by Garrard in 1858 for Queen Victoria. It has since been worn by several Queens for their coronations, including Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the Queen Mother. It was first worn at a coronation by Queen Alexandra in 1902, the consort of Edward VII.
Queen Victoria commissioned the necklace, alongside a pair of earrings, when her Uncle Ernst Augustus became Elector of Hanover in 1837 and the jewellery of his mother, Queen Charlotte, was a matter of dispute between the crowns of Great Britain and Hannover. Eventually, the courts decided in favour of the House of Hannover and the jewels were returned to the German kings.
The Garrard necklace is made with 25 diamonds, taken from unused garter badges and a garter sword, as well as the Lahore diamond, a 22.48-carat stone that features as a pendant.
The Lahore diamond was acquired from the Kings of the Punjab in 1849 when the Punjab was absorbed into the Indian Raj, and diamond presented to Queen Victoria in 1851.
At the same time, Garrard made a pair of diamond pendant earrings, known subsequently as the Coronation earrings. The earrings are made from cushion studs with two pear-shaped diamonds suspended from each.
Like this? Read about Queen Camilla’s crown
