The Queen, A Life in Jewels: The Glittering Golden Jubilee

The Queen marked 50 years on the throne on February 6, 2002. Three days later, her sister, Princess Margaret, passed away, and seven weeks after that, the Queen Mother followed. The start of the year was spent in mourning. But as the summer approached, and the nation prepared to celebrate the first Golden Jubilee since the reign of Queen Victoria, a more hopeful feeling was on the horizon.

The Golden Jubilee festivities were officially launched on April 30, 2002, when the Queen delivered a special joint address to the House of Lords and House of Commons at Westminster Hall.

For the speech, the Queen wore her favorite pearls with the City of London Lily Brooch.

For the next several weeks, Queen Elizabeth II attended special Golden Jubilee celebrations across the nation. On May 18, she was the guest of honor at “All The Queen’s Horses,” a special pageant held during the Royal Windsor Horse Show. She wore the Dubai Sapphires for the occasion.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were in Scotland on May 25 for the opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. They participated in a special jubilee carriage ride in Edinburgh.

For the assembly opening, the Queen chose the Cullinan V Brooch.

On June 1, the Queen attended Prom at the Palace, a special classical music concert held in the gardens at Buckingham Palace. She wore the Australian Wattle Brooch for the occasion.

On the following day, June 2, the Queen and the Duke were in Windsor for a special jubilee service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey.

The Queen selected one of the oldest brooches in her collection, the Duchess of Cambridge’s Pearl Pendant Brooch, for the occasion.

On June 3, the Queen arrived at the Guildhall in Windsor for the unveiling of a new portrait by the painter Theodore Ramos. In the new painting, pictured beside the Queen here, she wears the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara with the Pear-Shaped Diamond Drop Cluster Necklace and Earrings and Prince Albert’s Brooch. (In the portrait hanging behind her, which dates to 1954, the Queen wears Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara and Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Necklace.)

With her pearls, the Queen wore one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches for the portrait unveiling.

That evening, back in London, the grand Party at the Palace rock concert was held outside Buckingham Palace, followed by a grand fireworks display.

The Queen (having her hand kissed by Prince Charles here during the concert) wore Queen Adelaide’s Brooch with her pearls for the evening events.

The splendor was amped up on June 4, when the Queen and the Duke rode in the incredible Gold State Coach from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where a special service of thanksgiving was held in her honor.

For the service and the Guildhall luncheon that followed, the Queen again wore her pearls with the City of London Lily Brooch. (As its name suggests, the brooch has special resonance for the Queen’s relationship with the City of London, where St. Paul’s Cathedral and Guildhall are located.)

The Queen changed into a second outfit for the return to Buckingham Palace, where a parade and balcony appearance followed.

HM appeared on the palace balcony with her family to greet the well-wishers gathered on the Mall. She wore her signature pearls with a suitably golden brooch: the Golden Dahlia Brooch.