From diadem to milk tooth: Buckingham Palace to show 500 years of royal jewellery
More than 300 pieces, two-thirds never shown in public: from June 2027 the King's Gallery plans the first exhibition to explore 500 years of British royal jewellery.
Archive image · Photo: Anefo / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Royal Collection Trust announced a major jewellery exhibition at Buckingham Palace on 22 October. "Royal Jewellery: From Coronations to Keepsakes" will run at the King's Gallery from 25 June 2027 to 19 March 2028. It will feature more than 300 pieces from the 16th century to the present, around two-thirds of them on public display for the first time. The Crown Jewels are not included; they remain at the Tower of London.
Highlights include the Diamond Diadem, commissioned by George IV for his 1821 coronation and later shown on coins, banknotes and stamps bearing Elizabeth II's image, and Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown of 1870. Pieces shown for the first time include a garnet suite from Queen Charlotte's collection, Queen Alexandra's serpent bracelet with a black pearl and a Fabergé aquamarine pendant. Also on display will be cufflinks said to have been worn by Charles I on the scaffold and a thistle brooch containing the first milk tooth of Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
The exhibition is curated by Caroline de Guitaut and Kathryn Jones. "Each jewel carries with it a human story: of love and loss, power and politics, family and faith," they write. Jewellers represented include Garrard, Cartier, Boucheron and Fabergé. General ticket sales open on 3 November.