Today Britain will say goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch. Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest at the King George VI memorial chapel, a small annexe to the main chapel at Windsor. Here's where her mother and father King George VI were buried and her sister Princess Margaret's ashes are kept. While the historic event will be viewed by millions, there's the question of what will happen to her incredible jewellery collection, including her tiaras.
Firstly, there are the Crown Jewels, which comprise over 100 near-priceless treasures, housed in the Tower of London since the 1600s. Rather than it being owned by a single person, it is held in trust for the ruler and nation, to be used by the succeeding reigning monarch.
Then the Queen has a large collection of private jewellery, comprising of pieces she inherited, those she received as gifts and those she bought for herself. When Queen Mary, wife of King-Emperor George V died in 1953, most of her jewellery was left to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen's mother also left her a considerable amount of jewellery. So, the Queen's collection includes several sentimental heirloom pieces.
Now, reportedly, there are as many as 50 tiaras in the Queen's private collection including the Cartier diamond Halo tiara she loaned Princess of Wales Catherine when she wed Prince William and the art-deco style tiara she loaned Meghan Markle for her wedding to Prince Harry. Since the Queen's will is private, one cannot know which great-granddaughter or granddaughter-in-law will inherit her jewellery. But since William stands second in the line of succession, which would make Catherine future queen consort, she stands to inherit a sizeable amount of jewellery.
The Queen has, over the period, gifted numerous pieces to family members including the former Princess of Wales Diana and Sophie, Countess of Wessex i.e. Prince Andrew's wife. Catherine, for the initiation of the Queen's lying-in-state ceremony, wore a pearl and diamond leaf brooch, which was on long-term loan from the Queen. At the same ceremony, Meghan Markle wore diamond and pearl earrings, which had been gifted to her by the Queen.
According to experts, current Queen Consort Camilla is likely to be given the Kohinoor crown to wear, which contains some of the most famous diamonds in the world. The Queen is expected to be buried with just two pieces of significant jewellery-- her Welsh gold wedding band and a pair of pearl earrings.
If experts are to be believed, one special tiara-- one she inherited from Prince Philip's mother i.e. Princess Alice of Battenberg, will be passed on to Princess Anne.