Like princess Diana: who wears the jewels of the legendary British princess today

Jewelery and bijouterie

Lady Diana Spencer, married to the Princess of Wales, wife of the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, was an unforgettable personality. She separated from her husband for personal reasons, not the least of which was the desire to maintain freedom and the right to do and say what she saw fit. Lady Di lost her chance to ever become a queen consortess, but this did not upset her too much: the princess called herself the “queen of human hearts”, and that was the name of her adored Diana by the subjects of her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.

The tall and slender blue-eyed blonde was friends with designers and artists and was completely free from xenophobia and other prejudices: for example, fashion designer Gianni Versace and singer Elton John were among her friends. The impeccable elegance of Lady Dee made her a role model for millions of women around the world, and fashion houses dedicated their best creations to her: for example, the best-selling bag of the Dior fashion house, which the princess preferred, received her name - Lady D.

Lady Di's jewelry also invariably enjoyed close attention of the press and ordinary citizens. It is interesting to trace their fate after the tragic death of the princess in 1997.

Garrard engagement ring with sapphire and diamonds

Lady Di's engagement to the Prince of Wales was entirely under the control of her future mother-in-law, Elizabeth II. She, along with her son, invited the young countess to the palace, where she was invited to choose an engagement ring for herself in the catalog of the British royal court supplier Garrard (Her Majesty herself wears jewelry of this brand). Lady Spencer's choice fell on a 12-carat Sri Lankan sapphire, framed by 14 diamonds. On the day of the engagement, the ring cost 28,5 thousand pounds.

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When Princess Diana divorced her husband and, as prescribed by palace etiquette, returned the jewelry to the treasury, it was estimated at an order of magnitude more expensive - at 250 thousand pounds. According to the official version, after the death of Diana, her youngest son Harry took the sapphire as a keepsake, and in 2010 “conceded” the ring to his brother (Prince William was just about to propose to Kate Middleton). Today, Kate wears it paired with sapphire earrings given to her late mother-in-law by Prince Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Tiara Cambridge Lover's Knot aka Queen Mary Lover's Knot Tiara

Diana did not like to wear a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II - a tiara with drop-shaped pearl pendants and diamonds: this too heavy jewelry caused a migraine in the princess. After the divorce, Lady Dee was relieved to return him to the treasury. The magnificent tiara originally belonged to Queen Mary of Teck (wife of King George V and grandmother of Elizabeth II), and today it is worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, on special occasions.

Earrings from Collingwood

Drop-shaped pearl earrings, perfect for the Queen Mary Lover's Knot tiara, were presented to the future wife of the heir by the jewelers of the city of Collingwood: the custom of collective wedding gifts to members of the royal family has long roots in Britain. Diana wore them with a tiara, and so does Kate Middleton now.

Asprey sapphire choker

Gifts to the prince and princess were given not only by subjects. In total, Lady Di received about 12 thousand gifts, including a precious offering from a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia: an Asprey pendant with a large Burmese sapphire, and earrings, a ring, a bracelet and a jewelry watch. Diana, with her out-of-the-box thinking and original taste, turned the pendant into a velvet ribbon choker that she even wore as a bandeau (1920s-style headband).

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Pearl choker necklace with large sapphire

Women of the Windsor family traditionally love brooches. One of them - with a large sapphire framed by diamonds - the Queen Mother, the grandmother of Prince Charles, presented his bride for the wedding. Diana did not like brooches (her tastes in general often went against the customs accepted in her husband's family, which more than once led to conflicts) and, without thinking twice, she remade the brooch into a pearl choker necklace with seven strands of pearls.

Choker with emeralds

The swan neck of the princess was perfect for chokers. She received another one - an emerald one from Garrard - from Elizabeth II, and she inherited the jewelry from her grandmother, Mary of Teck.

Spencer family tiara

Before her marriage to Charles, Diana was indeed a kindergarten teacher, but this does not speak of her simple origin. On the contrary, she comes from an old aristocratic Spencer family, very well off. Luxurious, worthy of a princess, the Spencers' diamond tiara was ordered back in 1936, and Lady Dee chose it for her wedding to Prince Charles. This is a long family tradition: Diana's niece Celia McCorquodale and her three daughters-in-law, the wives of her brother, Charles Spencer, married in the same tiara.

Asprey aquamarine cocktail ring

As befits an internally free and independent woman, Diana positively celebrated her divorce by ordering (not from the royal suppliers Garrard, but from their rivals Asprey) a ring with a large rectangular aquamarine - a stone of her favorite icy blue color. After the death of the princess, this jewelry turned out to be with her youngest son Harry, who on the wedding day presented the ring as a wedding gift to his bride, actress Meghan Markle.

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