Standout royal jewels from King Charles III’s Coronation

By Kim Parker

The splendour and shimmer of the Royal Regalia, not to mention the Princess of Wales’ sequinned McQueen headdress, were undoubtedly the stars of the show at the Coronation of King Charles III at the weekend.

And though the distinct lack of tiaras may have made some yearn for the glamour of yesteryear, there were still plenty of other elegant jewels on display at the slimmed-down Coronation, worn by members of royal families from around the world. Here, we round up our favourite royal jewels from the occasion.

King Charles’ jewelled badge of The Order of the Garter

As he left Westminster Abbey, all eyes may have been on the gem-encrusted Imperial State Crown on King Charles’ head, but the diamond-studded badge suspended from a golden chain around his neck was worthy of attention, too. The jewelled badge of The Order of the Garter, which took the place of a smaller one worn by the King as he entered the Abbey, is believed to also have been worn by King George III, King George V and King George VI. It depicts a diamond-encrusted St. George, the patron saint of England, on horseback, slaying a dragon and is set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and amethysts. The diminutive saint even has a delicately enamelled face.

The Queen of Thailand’s sapphire suite

Alongside a smattering of beautiful diamond medals and diamond bracelets, Queen Suthida of Thailand wore an impressive suite of sapphire jewels that once belonged to Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother, who wore them during several State Visits including a visit by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Thailand in 1996.

Zara Tindall’s diamond brooch

Zara Tindall opted to borrow from her mother’s jewellery box for the Coronation, donning Princess Anne’s antique diamond festoon brooch. The jewel was a wedding gift from King Charles to Princess Anne for her wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973, so it was a touching tribute by Zara to wear it for her uncle’s big day.

The Duchess of Edinburgh’s sapphire and diamond earrings

The Duchess of Edinburgh paired her sparkling white gold, diamond and sapphire drops from Graff with a matching diamond and sapphire bracelet. The Duchess has previously worn them to the Royal Variety performance in December and to an event in Gibraltar in June 2022 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark’s turquoise jewels

Crown Princess Mark of Denmark accessorised her regal purple outfit to perfection with a pair of heirloom turquoise and diamond earrings and matching brooch. The transformable pieces once belonged by her husband’s great-grandmother, Princess Margaret of Connaught (a descendent of Catherine the Great) and were given as a gift by the current Queen, Margrethe II, to Princess Mary as a birthday present last year.

Princess Eugenie’s diamond necklace and earrings

Princess Eugenie also opted for a royal blue hue, pairing her navy dress and jacket with the Albemarle white gold and diamond collar necklace with white gold and diamond drop earrings by Garrard, the former Crown Jeweller that was also responsible for crafting the Imperial State Crown, Queen Mary’s Crown and the Coronation Necklace.

Princess Beatrice’s pink sapphire earrings

Like her sister, Princess Beatrice chose to wear jewellery by former Crown Jeweller, Garrard. She opted for a pair of pink sapphire, opal and rubellite earrings from its latest jewellery collection, Blaze, which was inspired by the shape of Princess Diana’s engagement ring.

Queen Mathilde of Belgium’s pearl choker

A proven pearl fan, Queen Mathilde of Belgium topped off her pastel pink Coronation outfit with a seven-strand pearl choker with diamond-set bands, diamond and pearl earrings, and a diamond butterfly brooch dated from 1900 that she previously wore to the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen of Bhutan’s embellished earrings

One of the world’s most stylish royals, Queen Jetsun Pema looked impeccable in her traditional kira, finished with a pair of statement earrings, tennis bracelet and ring.

Queen Letizia of Spain’s diamond ‘button’ earrings

To finish off her pink Carolina Herrera ensemble, Spain’s Queen Letizia wore a pair of diamond button earrings that once belonged to Queen Ena of Spain (the granddaughter of Queen Victoria), who first wore them for her wedding to King Alfonso XIII in 1906. Queen Ena wore the jewels frequently throughout her life, finally altering them into their current shape – with the central 10 carat diamonds surrounded by a ring of twelve brilliants – some time in the 1930s.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden‘s floral earrings and diamond collet

Like Zara Tindall, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose to wear something borrowed to attend King Charles’ Coronation, opting for an elegant pair of carved gemstone floral earrings owned by her mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden. She also wore a sparkling diamond collet necklace, and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Royal Family Order, framed with diamonds.

The Queen of Lesotho’s sparkling demi-parure

Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso looked effortlessly chic in a sky blue ensemble at King Charles III’s Coronation, accessorised with a beautiful demi-parure of blue gemstones and white diamonds.

Queen Maxima of the Netherland’s extraordinary diamond earrings

There are diamond earrings, and then there are DIAMOND EARRINGS. Queen Maxima of the Netherland definitely made a case for the latter when she stepped out in a pair of oversized white diamond earrings which were made from clusters of stones taken from the transformable Stuart Tiara, named for its origins in Stuart England (its central diamond was acquired by William of Orange, who ruled as King William II of England. It was returned to Holland after the King’s death in 1702).

Queen Anne Marie of Greece’s diamond swan brooch

Queen Anne-Marie has worn her sparkling swan brooch at significant events throughout her reign, including to the christening of her youngest daughter, Princess Theodora, in 1983 and to the wedding of her eldest son, Crown Prince Pavlos, in 1995. A symbol of grace, beauty and love in Ancient Greece, the bird was also considered sacred to the god Apollo, who used them to pull his chariot.

Like this? Learn more about the Crown Jewels used at King Charles III’s Coronation