![The Queen: A Life in Jewels](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/alifeinjewels.jpg?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Our retrospective on the remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth II draws to a close today with one final moment of sparkle and glitter: the unprecedented Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles to the crowd from Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0605-01-pageant30.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
No British monarch before Queen Elizabeth II had ever celebrated a Platinum Jubilee—70 years on the throne—and it’s not a feat we’ll likely see repeated in any of our lifetimes. The Queen was unable to attend all of the events on the jubilee schedule, but the appearances she did make will last in our collective memory for a very long time.
![A picture released in London on February 4, 2022, and taken last month, shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looking at a display of memorabilia from her Golden and Platinum Jubilees, in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle, west of London](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-0207-02-elizabeth03.jpg?resize=1200%2C792&ssl=1)
The Queen’s accession day is February 6, and Buckingham Palace released several new official photos of the Queen two days ahead of the anniversary to mark the beginning of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The images, taken in January, show the Queen in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. She wears the diamond and aquamarine clips gifted to her by her father, King George VI, as an 18th birthday present in 1944. The brooches were a reminder that her accession day is also the anniversary of her beloved father’s passing.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiles during a reception in the Ballroom of Sandringham House, the Queen's Norfolk residence on February 5, 2022, as she celebrates the start of the Platinum Jubilee](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-0207-02-elizabeth06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1666&ssl=1)
On February 5, the Queen held a reception with representatives from local community groups in the ballroom at Sandringham House, where she traditionally spent her accession day. She wore another pair of brooches that hearken back to her youth: the small Nizam of Hyderabad Rose Brooches, part of a suite made by Cartier and given to the then-princess as a wedding present in November 1947.
![A Buckingham Palace handout image released on February 6, 2022, shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smiling as she sits in Sandringham House in Norfolk, eastern England on February 2, 2022, released to mark the start of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Year](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-0207-02-elizabeth01.jpg?resize=1200%2C810&ssl=1)
The Queen spent her accession day privately in 2022. But the palace did release one more poignant photograph of the Queen, flanked by one of the famous royal boxes that contain state papers and a photograph of King George VI. Those parts of the image reflect the job, but the brooches she wears in the picture are a symbol of family. She chose to wear the Greville Ivy Leaf Clips, which were a 21st birthday gift from her mother, presented to her during the African royal tour in 1947. They were also the last brooches she wore in public before becoming Queen. I wrote a lengthy article in February about the symbolism of the three pairs of brooches: twinned jewels, reinforcing the idea that no monarch reigns alone, all with links to her beloved father, mother, and husband.
![Queen Elizabeth II during the "A Gallop Through History" performance as part of the official celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park on May 15, 2022 in Windsor, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-0516-01-windsor14.jpg?resize=1200%2C841&ssl=1)
In May, the Queen attended “A Gallop Through History,” a special Platinum Jubilee pageant at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
![Queen Elizabeth II arrives for the "A Gallop Through History" performance as part of the official celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park on May 15, 2022 in Windsor, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-0516-01-windsor08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1797&ssl=1)
She wore her signature pearls—pearl and diamond earrings and a three-stranded pearl necklace—with a wrap decorated with crystal embellishments for the show.
![Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (R) mark the Elizabeth line's official opening at Paddington Station on May 17, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-0518-01-elizabeth03.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Two days later, the Queen made a surprise appearance in London for another jubilee-related engagement: the official opening of the Elizabeth Line, a passenger rail service that runs from Reading and Heathrow Airport to Abbey Wood and Shenfield.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II reacts during her visit to Paddington Station in London on May 17, 2022, to mark the completion of London's Crossrail project, ahead of the opening of the new 'Elizabeth Line' rail service next week](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-0518-01-elizabeth08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1799&ssl=1)
For the occasion, she wore a beloved diamond and gold brooch that was gifted to her during her Diamond Jubilee in 2012: the Bird of Paradise Jubilee Brooch.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (2L) stands with from left, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Louis of Cambridge, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Britain's Princess Charlotte of Cambridge , Britain's Prince George of Cambridge, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, , to watch 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/2022/06/2022-0602-03-trooping16.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
In June, a full weekend of Platinum Jubilee celebrations were held in London. The festivities kicked off with Trooping the Colour on June 2. The Queen took the salute from the Buckingham Palace balcony alongside the Duke of Kent, and then made a second balcony appearance with other members of the royal family.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II stands on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace as the troops march past during 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/2022/06/2022-0602-03-trooping14.jpg?resize=1200%2C1703&ssl=1)
The Queen sparkled in the Guards Brooch for the occasion. The gem-encrusted brooch features the badges of all five of the Foot Guards of the Household Regiments: the Coldstream Guards, the Grenadier Guards, the Irish Guards, the Scots Guards, and the Welsh Guards.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II touches the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting of the Principal Beacon outside of Buckingham Palace in London, from the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London, on June 2, 2022, as part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0602-04-beacon03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1798&ssl=1)
Later that evening, the Queen participated in a special jubilee beacon lighting, touching the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start a chain of light extending outward.
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II prepares to touch the Commonwealth Nations Globe to start the lighting of the Principal Beacon outside of Buckingham Palace in London, from the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle in Windsor, west of London, as part of Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 2, 2022 in Windsor, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0602-04-beacon08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1699&ssl=1)
She wore a brand-new brooch for the occasion, the Goldsmiths’ Platinum Jubilee Brooch, one of a few new jewels gifted to her to mark the Platinum Jubilee.
![The Goldsmiths' Platinum Jubilee Brooch](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0602-04-beacon09.jpg?resize=828%2C947&ssl=1)
The brooch was a gift from the Goldsmiths’ Company. Royal reporter Rebecca English wrote at the time that the brooch held deep symbolic meaning: “The four nations of the UK are represented by four diamond swirls and the national flowers: the rose, the thistle, the daffodil and the shamrock. It also includes her favourite lily of the valley.”
![People gather on The Mall for the BBC Platinum Party at the Palace, as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, on June 4, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0604-02-party02.jpg?resize=1200%2C1685&ssl=1)
The Queen found attending the jubilee events very physically taxing, so she was not present for events like the service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Epsom Derby, or the Platinum Party at the Palace.
![Queen Elizabeth II is seen onscreen during the Platinum Party At The Palace at Buckingham Palace on June 4, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0604-02-party04.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Except that she did have a surprise up her sleeve for those watching the Party at the Palace after all! She appeared in a special video, accompanied by Paddington Bear, that was aired during the celebration. She wore her beloved Cullinan V Brooch for her special tea party.
![The Gold State Coach with an hologram of the Queen inside during the Platinum Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0605-01-pageant07.jpg?resize=1200%2C756&ssl=1)
The Queen was also not expected to attend the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, held outside Buckingham Palace on June 5. The Gold State Coach made a special appearance, fitted with a unique hologram that showed images of the Queen on her coronation day in 1953.
![An hologram of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is projected on the Gold State Coach during the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5, 2022 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0605-01-pageant08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1843&ssl=1)
Here’s a closer look at the hologram, which showed the Queen wearing the Imperial State Crown.
![Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge stand on the balcony during the Platinum Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0605-01-pageant32.jpg?resize=1200%2C769&ssl=1)
But the Queen surprised everyone once again by arriving for one last Platinum Jubilee balcony appearance at the end of the pageant. It was ultimately the last time she would step on to the palace balcony to greet the public.
![Queen Elizabeth II waves on the balcony during the Platinum Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-0605-01-pageant31.jpg?resize=1200%2C1637&ssl=1)
For this final balcony appearance, she wore her signature pearls with one of the heirlooms of the crown. This is one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches, part of a trio made in the 1850s. The brooches pass directly from monarch to monarch, for use by queens regnant and consort.
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