Royal family's jewellery collection - Queen Camilla to Princess Diana and the man who tried to steal them
We see members of The Firm wearing various pieces from the Crown's collection...Queen Camilla, among other members of the royal family, have been seen wearing Princess Diana‘s jewellery over the years – but although some upset fans claim she ‘stole’ the pieces, we explain the rules of The Firm.
From Princess Kate Middleton to Princess Charlotte – who will inherit the royal family jewels and who gets to wear them?
Queen Elizabeth II had the most treasured collection of gemstones in the world, and now the ‘priceless’ pieces have been passed down to King Charles.
Who has most of Princess Diana’s jewellery?
Many pieces of Princess Diana’s jewellery were actually part of the Royal Collection, which is passed down through generations of the family and the monarch (King Charles alongside his wife Queen Camilla).
While her son’s Prince William and Prince Harry chose pieces from her collection as heirlooms, they didn’t inherit all of it. It also explains why we see members of The Firm wearing her collection to this day.
Her iconic sapphire engagement ring came to William, who used it to propose to Kate Middleton before their royal wedding in 2011. He also received a pair of her pearl earrings, which the Princess of Wales has worn more than once, including the recent VE Day celebrations in May 2025.
Prince Harry inherited a gold Cartier watch, which Meghan Markle has sported, as well as an aquamarine cocktail ring, which has a huge aquamarine stone and small diamonds. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wore it during her wedding reception, as well as a pair of gold butterfly earrings during their public tour in 2018.
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Did Queen Camilla get any of Princess Diana’s jewellery?
Queen Camilla was seen wearing a piece of Princess Diana’s jewellery after it was altered. It rubbed some fans up the wrong way, but in reality, a lot of the time the jewels belong to the monarch and not individual members of the royal family.
While it may seem like an awkward moment for anyone not part of The Firm, wearing your husband’s ex’s jewellery, but we all know what happened between Queen Camilla, Charles and Princess Diana.
One iconic Princess Diana piece of jewellery was a necklace made up of four-carat diamonds and green emeralds. It featured three ostrich feathers, part of the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales. Diana was given the brooch on her wedding day by the Queen Mother, and although it was a gift to the Princess, it became a part of the Royal Collection after her death – and therefore Camilla then had access to it years later.
The future queen had it altered into a brooch and was first seen wearing the redesign in 2019. Princess Kate has also been spotted wearing it as well, in 2022, for the Horse Guards Parade.
What happened to Queen Elizabeth II’s jewels?
Although she was the owner of the Crown Jewels during her record-breaking reign, Queen Elizabeth II owned her own jewels as part of her collection. It had been classed as one of the most valuable in the world, after expanding across 400 years and being passed down through the royal family. The jewels lived through various generations, and consist of Queen Elizabeth I’s Medici pearls to priceless jewels that date back to the 16th century.
The hundreds of pieces include tiaras, rings, brooches, earrings and necklaces. They are kept under lock and key in an underground converted air raid shelter that sits beneath Buckingham Palace. It has been fitted with an alarm that connects to Buckingham Palace’s police station.
Some of the most recognisable tiaras owned by the late queen include the Diamond Diadem – which she wore on the way to her coronation and at every State Parliament Opening during her reign. There’s also the Lover’s Knot tiara, which was worn by Princess Diana and the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
It’s not known if she passed down any particular pieces from her collection to specific members of the royal family. She likely followed tradition and left the majority of her jewels to the next monarch – King Charles. We sometimes see a member of The Firm wearing a piece of the collection, from before and after her death. However, it was common for royals to borrow jewellery for special occasions and they still were owned by the late queen.
Who owns the royal family jewels?
The Crown Jewels are property of the Crown, and are passed down from monarch to monarch. This means King Charles is now the owner of the 100 Crown Jewels that are kept in the Tower of London as he’s the ruler of Britain. They’ve been protected at the historic site since the 1660s. Armed guards stand on watch in the Jewel House as millions from around the world come to see them.
They are held in trust and do not belong to a particular king or queen, but the ruler at the time.
Consisting of 100 objects and more than 23,000 gemstones, they are ‘priceless’, due to their historical, cultural and symbolic value.
The Crown Jewels are ceremonial pieces worn at state occasions, such as Charles’ coronation, where he wore and held the Coronation Regalia. This includes St Edward’s Crown, the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign’s sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s orb. They represent the sovereignty of the monarch and are the most precious jewels of the nation.
When Prince William becomes king, he’ll take over ownerships of the Crown Jewels.
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Crown Jewels were destroyed and sold in the 1600s
The Coronation Regalia owned by the monarch up until King Charles I were kept at Westminster Abbey. However, during the English Civil War in 1649, he was executed and parliament wanted to abolish the monarchy.
Parliament decided to destroy the goods at the Tower of London, and the stones were sold and gold melted down. The metal was turned into coins at the time, stamped ‘Commonwealth of England’.
But in 1660, monarchy was restored and King Charles II ordered new regalia for his coronation the following year. Most of the Crown Jewels and collection today is made up by a large proportion of this order.
The one man who tried to steal them
Despite their notoriety, there’s only ever been one person who has attempted to steal the Crown Jewels. In 1671, Colonel Thomas Blood – a soldier and spy – became part of a plot to take the collection.
On May 9, 1671, Colonel Blood and his accomplices fooled the Jewel House Keeper, Talbot Edwards. At the time, security wasn’t as intense as it is now, and for a fee, you could hold the Crown Jewels.
While they held them, the men attacked Edwards and run off with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. Panicked, they were captured when they tried to get to their horses.
Surprisingly, Blood escaped punishment, after an audience with King Charles II – who he fought for in the English Civil War.
Instead, he was pardoned for all his previous crimes and given a grant of Irish lands worth £500 a year.
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