Queen Elizabeth II didn't have her ears pierced until she was 25. "Before then, all of her earrings were modified into clip-ons," the experts revealed. "But shortly before her accession, in the summer of 1951, she made the decision to pierce her ears after all."
By mid-century, traditional ear piercing returned to prominence, helped in part by Queen Elizabeth II. The influential queen had her ears pierced to wear her wedding diamond earrings, bringing the practice back into the public consciousness.
Queen Camilla famously does not have her ears pierced, but when she does wear ear jewellery, she usually opts for her everyday pearl pendant earrings.
However, Her Majesty didn't get her ears pierced until four years after her wedding, aged 25, so was initially unable to wear them. Her Majesty is pictured above wearing them for her Coronation Day portrait. Before her ears were pierced, other earrings owned by the Queen were adapted into clip-ons.
Greville Pear-drop Earrings
Diana, Princess of Wales, borrowed them in 1983 to wear on her first official visit to Australia. At a state banquet, she wore the earrings with a tiara from her family's own collection. The Greville Pear-drop Earrings passed to Elizabeth II upon her mother's death in 2002.
Queen Elizabeth II didn't have her ears pierced until she was 25. "Before then, all of her earrings were modified into clip-ons," the experts revealed. "But shortly before her accession, in the summer of 1951, she made the decision to pierce her ears after all."
Ultimately, the queen's devotion to pearls may be a hallmark of her style; even her most casual outfits are held together with a bit of luster.
Garrard & Co: Garrard & Co has been the official crown jeweller for the British royal family for more than 200 years. They have made several pieces for the Queen, including the wedding gift pearl necklace and the sapphire and diamond brooch that was a gift from her father on her 18th birthday.
The Duchess of Sussex is also fond of cuff-style earrings, having worn them on a number of occasions – though she is actually thought to only have one piercing in each ear.
The Queen's rings may now be passed to one of her children or grandchildren, meaning the message – which we imagine is very heartfelt – will become more widely known among the royals. The Duke designed the Queen's engagement ring himself using diamonds that were handed down from his mother.
Princess Kate arrived at Westminster Abbey in the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings and four strand pearl choker with center diamond clasp, both from the Queen's personal collection.
Beatrice doesn't actually have her ears pierced and favours clip-on earrings when she wants to add an extra sparkle to her ensembles. For instance, at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2022 she wore Sphinx earrings by Jennifer Gibson Jewellery, which are already clip-on jewels.
READ MORE. During Diana's lifetime, the Princess wore the pendant attached to a silver necklace, while Camilla later opted to don it as a brooch. The Queen Consort was seen wearing the jewel to a party to celebrate her husband's 50th anniversary as the Prince of Wales in March 2019.
According to royal expert Lisa Levinson, the only jewelry Queen Elizabeth II will be buried with will be the Welsh gold wedding ring she received at her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947 and a pair of pearl earrings.
And in sad times, the gemstones serve as a symbol of grief. Royals have worn pearls as "mourning jewelry" in a tradition that dates back to Queen Victoria. After the death of her husband Prince Albert, the Queen famously wore black for the rest of her life, accessorizing only with black, colorless, or pearl jewelry.
The future monarch was only 25 years old when she lost her beloved dad, and the pearl necklace that she received from him as a young girl remains a powerful reminder of the special bond they shared. Elizabeth loved the three-strand pearl necklace so much that she had an identical one made.
Princess Eugenie is one of the only royals with visible tattoos. She showed off her small tattoo, a delicately inked circle behind her left year, at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. However, it is unclear when she first got the piece of body art.
She also has tattoos on each of her wrists and a tiger on her left-hand shoulder blade. While she does not appear to have any permanent markings, Princess Kate has experimented with temporary tattoo designs before.
If I counted correctly, Jennifer Aniston has three ear piercings in each earlobe. Sometimes she wears six earrings or studs, sometimes just one on each side. Many times her earrings aren't visible, since she usually wears her long blond hair open.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained that, again, in typical royal fashion, “there is a hierarchy in all of this,” she says. “The Queen Consort, really, gets first choice of the Queen's jewelry. And after that is Princess of Wales, of course, Kate.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
How much did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth II? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that was Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen after her death. The collection includes 300 personal pieces of jewelry that belonged just to the Queen and not the Crown.
Meghan is still Duchess of Sussex, but has no right to borrow the royal tiaras and gems the way her rivals do. All Meghan has is a pair of modest pearl and diamond earrings that Queen Elizabeth gave her.
The royal family has a long custom of wearing pearls not only for regality and special occasions, but also daily for a simple yet classy elegance. There is one necklace in particular however that holds a special meaning to the Queen.
On her wedding day, Diana borrowed her mother's diamond earrings, which consist of a central pear-shaped diamond surrounded by around 50 smaller diamonds.