Ever wondered? This is what will happen to Queen Elizabeth II's jewels

Queen Elizabeth II in her jewels visiting Berlin — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Interesting.

Sadly, Her Majesty the Queen died on Thursday 8th September 2022 at the age of 96.

Queen Elizabeth II had ruled for 70 years before she "peacefully" passed away last week.

One question that fans have been asking - alongside when The Queen's funeral is and how long the queue is to see her coffin, which is currently lying in state in Westminster - is what will happen to her jewellery.

As you can imagine, her collection is packed full of unique (and expensive) pieces that are rich in history and meaning. She was always known to have great taste (she frequently wore pearls, brooches, and bright, eye-catching ensembles as she joked that otherwise, "no one would know who [she] was.")

So what will happen to the collection now? If it goes as per tradition, the jewels will be passed down to her daughter, Anne, and other members of the Royal family. Queen Elizabeth inherited lots of jewellery from both her mother and grandmother when they passed away.

Experts have said that as much will likely be decided by her will, which is private. They predict that pieces to be passed to both her daughter, Anne, and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Historically, while previous Queen's haven't had a will, they have kept strict records of their collections. Queen Alexandra didn't herself have a will, it is thought that she kept a pretty meticulous record of all of her items of jewellery and further details of who was to inherit what when she passed - most of which went to the Queen herself.

The same is thought of Queen Mary, who passed in 1953, and Queen Elizabeth - the Queen's mother - who passed in 2002.

So, yes - it's fair to say she has a pretty impressive collection.

That said, she could also follow an alternate tradition, which dictates jewels are to be passed down to the next sovereign. If so, King Charles II would inherit the collection and, as per the experts, likely gift them to various family members, too.

Various members already own some of the Queen's jewels - Kate, Meghan, and the Queen Consort, Camilla, all honoured the late Queen and her legacy by wearing jewellery she had given them this week.

Ally is Marie Claire UK's Senior Health and Sustainability Editor, a well-regarded wellness expert, ten-time marathoner, and Boston Qualifying runner.

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