![Queen Elizabeth II talks to guests at an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace on December 11, 2019 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen22.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
As Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest today, I thought it was an appropriate moment to reflect on some of the last sparkling jewels that she wore during her remarkable life and reign. I’ve chosen some of the most iconic final jewelry moments from the late monarch. (If I’ve missed any you enjoyed, or if I’ve made any errors in my calculations, drop a note in the comments!)
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II delivers the Queen's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, on May 18, 2016](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen13.jpg?resize=1200%2C1396&ssl=1)
We’ll begin with one of the Queen’s most important constitutional duties: opening parliament. For most of her reign, she wore the Imperial State Crown as she delivered her speech from the throne during the State Opening of Parliament in London. She wore the crown for the event for the last time on May 18, 2016. She also wore Queen Victoria’s Pearl Drop Earrings and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace on that occasion.
![Queen Elizabeth II proceeds through the Royal Gallery before the Queen's speech during the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster on October 14, 2019 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen14.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
For several years, she wore the George IV Diamond Diadem as a substitute for the larger crown during the ceremony. She wore the dazzling diamond and pearl diadem for the last time in public at the State Opening of Parliament in London on October 14, 2019. Her additional jewels on that occasion included the Coronation Necklace and Queen Mary’s Diamond Cluster Earrings.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II waits to read the Queen's Speech on the The Sovereign's Throne in the House of Lords chamber, during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London on May 11, 2021, which is taking place with a reduced capacity due to Covid-19 restrictions](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen12.jpg?resize=1200%2C1656&ssl=1)
The Queen attended the State Opening of Parliament in London for the final time on May 11, 2021. The ceremony, scaled back because of the pandemic, did not involve crowns or gala jewels. Instead, the Queen wore her signature pearls with her diamond and aquamarine clips. The brooches were her 18th birthday gift from her father, King George VI.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II makes her Address to Parliament in the Debating Chamber during the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland on October 2, 2021](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen11.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
The Queen also opened two other parliaments for the final time in 2021. She was in Edinburgh on October 2, 2021, where she made her final appearance in Scotland’s parliament. She wore Queen Mary’s Diamond Thistle Brooch with her pearls for the occasion.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II speaks during the ceremonial opening of the sixth Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, in Cardiff, Wales on October 14, 2021](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen10.jpg?resize=1200%2C1687&ssl=1)
And in Cardiff on October 14, 2021, she made her final appearance at the opening of the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament. Appropriately, she chose the Daffodil of Wales Brooch for the moment.
![Queen Elizabeth II departs the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 at Westminster Abbey on March 09, 2020 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen18.jpg?resize=1200%2C1663&ssl=1)
The Queen’s role as Head of the Commonwealth of Nations was one of her most treasured and respected positions. She made her final appearance at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 9, 2020, wearing the Jardine Star Brooch.
![Queen Elizabeth II greets guests in the Blue Drawing Room in the Blue Drawing Room at The Queen's Dinner during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at Buckingham Palace on April 19, 2018 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen16.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800&ssl=1)
She attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the final time when it was held in London in 2018. For her last CHOGM Dinner, held at Buckingham Palace on April 19, 2018, she wore dazzling jewels: the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara, the Greville Ruby Necklace, and Queen Mary’s Ruby Cluster Earrings.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reacts as she poses with the US President and US First Lady ahead of a State Banquet in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace in central London on June 3, 2019, on the first day of the US president and First Lady's three-day State Visit to the UK](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen01.jpg?resize=1200%2C1832&ssl=1)
She also wore rubies for her final state banquet at Buckingham Palace, held in honor of the President of the United States on June 3, 2019. For that occasion, she donned the Burmese Ruby Tiara with the Crown Ruby Necklace and Earrings.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reacts as she watches a special flypast from Buckingham Palace balcony following the Queen's Birthday Parade, the Trooping the Colour, as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations, in London on June 2, 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen05.jpg?resize=1200%2C1799&ssl=1)
I know many of us, including me, looked forward very much to the jewels worn by the Queen during “Royal June” every year. For her final appearance at Trooping the Colour in London on June 2, 2022, she wore the Guards Brooch, which she traditionally wore each year for the event.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II rides in a carriage as she leaves following the Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on June 17, 2019](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen09.jpg?resize=1200%2C1608&ssl=1)
Her final appearance in her Garter robes for the Order of the Garter Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor came on June 17, 2019. She chose Queen Mary’s Diamond Cluster Earrings for that occasion.
![The Queen with Charles and Camilla on Garter Day, 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0613-02-garter19.jpg?resize=1200%2C1485&ssl=1)
However, we did see a glimpse of her on Garter Day on June 13, 2022. An official photograph of the Queen in gala jewels—pearls with one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches—was released to coincide with the investiture of the then-Duchess of Cornwall as a member of the order.
![Queen Elizabeth II smiles in the parade ring as she attends Royal Ascot 2021 at Ascot Racecourse on June 19, 2021 in Ascot, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen07.jpg?resize=1200%2C1601&ssl=1)
The Queen made her final appearance at her beloved Royal Ascot races on June 19, 2021. She wore her mother’s Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch for the outing.
![Queen Elizabeth II receives a special memento from Her Majestys Representative at Ascot, Sir Francis Brooke Bt., to mark her induction into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame, the official Hall of Fame for British Flat racing, on October 16, 2021 in Ascot, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen08.jpg?resize=1200%2C897&ssl=1)
She also returned to Ascot once more on October 16, 2021, when she was inducted into the British Champions Series Hall of Fame. She chose the Pearl Triangle Brooch for that significant moment.
![Queen Elizabeth II during the traditional Ceremony of the Keys at Holyroodhouse on June 27, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0627-02-queen04.jpg?resize=1200%2C1802&ssl=1)
At the end of June and beginning of July, the Queen always moved to her royal residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Holyrood Week kicked off annually with the Ceremony of the Keys, which the Queen attended for the final time on June 27, 2022. With her pearls, she wore the badges of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, on November 8, 2020](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen17.jpg?resize=1200%2C1663&ssl=1)
Each November, the Queen was a fixture in London for the celebrations of Remembrance Sunday. She appeared on a nearby balcony during the ceremony for the final time on November 8, 2020, wearing the Dorset Bow Brooch with her poppies.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks on after her Equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah placed a bouquet of flowers at the grave of the Unknown Warrior to mark the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior ahead of Remembrance Sunday at Westminster Abbey in London on November 4, 2020](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen19.jpg?resize=1200%2C1799&ssl=1)
A few days earlier, on November 4, 2020, she had also marked the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, wearing the Jardine Star Brooch.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II attends a Service of Thanksgiving for her late husband, Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey in central London on March 29, 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2021-0409-duke13.jpg?resize=1200%2C1686&ssl=1)
The Queen’s final appearance during a service at Westminster Abbey, where she was married in 1947 and crowned in 1953, came on March 29, 2022, when she attended a service of thanksgiving for the life of her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. She wore one of the personal gifts he had given to her during their marriage, the Grima Ruby Brooch.
![Queen Elizabeth II records her annual Christmas broadcast in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle on December 23, 2021 in Windsor, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2021-0409-duke11.jpg?resize=1200%2C795&ssl=1)
The Duke of Edinburgh’s memory was also close to her mind during her final Christmas Broadcast, which was recorded on December 23, 2021, and aired two days later. She wore the Sapphire Chrysanthemum Brooch, which she wore on their 1947 honeymoon, for the speech.
![Queen Elizabeth II and Prince George of Cambridge on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen02.jpg?resize=1200%2C728&ssl=1)
The Queen’s long life was full of significant moments celebrated on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, from jubilees, weddings, and birthdays to the end of World War II. Her final bejeweled balcony appearance took place on June 5, 2022, when she joined the three heirs to the throne—Charles, William, and George—with their families at the conclusion of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. She wore one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches with her pearls for the iconic moment.
![Queen Elizabeth II talks to guests at an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace on December 11, 2019 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen15.jpg?resize=1200%2C1753&ssl=1)
In such a long, bejeweled life, there are so many “lasts”: the last birthday, the last anniversary, the last celebration. And there are last jewels, too. The final tiara that we saw the Queen wear in public was the Vladimir Tiara, in its Cambridge Emerald setting. She wore the tiara (with her mother’s Cartier bracelets, the Greville Emerald Earrings, and a gorgeous emerald necklace that also has possible Greville provenance) for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace on December 11, 2019.
![Queen Elizabeth II smiles during a visit to officially open the new building at Thames Hospice on July 15, 2022 in Maidenhead, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen20.jpg?resize=1200%2C792&ssl=1)
If my records are correct, the last brooch that we saw the Queen wear in public was a poignant one: the Aquamarine Art Deco Brooch from the collection of the late Queen Mother. She wore the brooch for a surprise outing, the opening of a new Thames Hospice building in Berkshire, on July 15, 2022.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and new Conservative Party leader and Britain's Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss meet at Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland, on September 6, 2022, where the Queen invited Truss to form a Government](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0907-01-queen03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1624&ssl=1)
And, of course, her final public appearance was her audience with her 15th and final Prime Minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle on September 6, 2022. For this last bejeweled moment, just two days before her death, the Queen very appropriately wore her favorite signature pearl and diamond earrings and three-stranded pearl necklace. She was herself until the very end.
![Portrait of the Queen taken at Windsor Castle in May 2022](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/2022-0919-01-queen21.jpg?resize=1121%2C1490&ssl=1)
As I was finishing up this article, the Queen made one more bejeweled appearance for all of us. Buckingham Palace released an unseen portrait of Her Majesty, taken in May at Windsor Castle, on the eve of Monday’s state funeral. In the image, she wears those treasured aquamarine clips, an 18th birthday gift from her beloved father. A gorgeous final portrait of an incredible bejeweled Queen.
A scheduling note: I’ll have coverage of the jewels worn for the Queen’s state funeral on the website later today. This week, I’ll be featuring articles on some of the gorgeous and meaningful mourning jewels worn by members of the family, including Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales. And then we’ll do a few “best of” posts, so that I can take a nap or two!
Thank you all so much for the kind comments throughout our coverage during the past week and a half. I was so glad to be able to make all of you proud!
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