Q: Samuel - Augusta, Maine, USA
Can you please provide information on The Queen's personal jewellery collection? I am particularly interested in the brooches and the pearl necklace that she frequently wears.
The Queen has a large collection of personal jewellery which she wears on a range of public occasions. Some pieces have been given to her as presents, either personal or official, to mark her 21st birthday, her wedding or the Coronation. Others have been given to commemorate State visits and Commonwealth tours and other official functions such as the launching of ships. In addition, many items in her collection were inherited, mostly from Queen Mary. A final, smaller category is those pieces which The Queen herself has bought or has had made from existing stones or pieces in her possession.
Of the many brooches owned by The Queen, some belonged to Queen Victoria including a large sapphire set in twelve diamonds (given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert as a wedding present). Some were inherited from Queen Mary - a brooch comprising two huge diamonds (Cullinan III and IV) sometimes jokingly referred to as Granny's Chips. There are also several diamond bow brooches, one of which, in the shape of a lover's knot, is often used to pin a sash to The Queens shoulder on evening dresses.
Brooches were amongst the pieces given to The Queen as 21st birthday presents, such as the flame-lily diamond brooch from the children of Southern Rhodesia. A brooch in the form of a basket of flowers was a present from her parents to mark the birth of her eldest son, Prince Charles. On the Coronation tour of 1953-4 The Queen was presented with a diamond fern brooch by the women of Auckland on her visit to New Zealand, and a brooch of white and yellow diamonds forming a spray of wattle or mimosa by the government of Australia.
Among strings of pearls in the collection is a double string, a family heirloom, which was a wedding present to The Queen from her parents. It is now worn on informal evening occasions. A triple string of pearls is often worn in the daytime, and was a present to The Queen when she was a young girl from King George V. This is probably the necklace to which you are referring.
Q: Dana - Czech Republic
Please could you write about the Castle of Mey? Where is it? Is the castle open to the public? Thank you.
The Castle of Mey is situated on the north coast of Caithness, in the parish of Canisbay, about 15 miles east of Thurso and 6 miles west of John O'Groats. It stands on rising ground overlooking the Pentland Firth and the islands of Orkney.
It was bought by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1952 after staying with friends at a house on Dunnet Head, a short distance to the west. Despite the castle's poor condition, The Queen Mother purchased it that year and set about renovating and restoring both the castle and its gardens and parkland, which extended to about 45 acres. Her Majesty also restored the original name, 'The Castle of Mey', from its then name of Barrogill Castle.
By custom, Queen Elizabeth would spend the last three weeks of August at the castle, returning for about ten days in October each year. Her last visit was in October 2001, when she stayed for about a week.
The castle and gardens are open during the summer period each year. This year they are open to visitors from Thursday, 14 August to Sunday, 12 October, closed all day on Mondays.
Q: Alexander de Bragaça - Monaco
The Scottish regalia were hidden in Edinburgh Castle during WWII. What happened to the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London? Were they hidden in London or somewhere else?
The Crown Jewels were indeed taken away during the Second World War, but the location of the hiding place remains a secret even today.
Q: Margaret Allen - Auckland, New Zealand
I have received conflicting advice with respect to the hanging of portraits of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. When standing facing the paintings, should The Queen be on the left as you look at the pictures, or the right? Does it matter?
There are no set rules. In joint photographs The Queen always stands on the right hand side of The Duke of Edinburgh, therefore appearing on his left when you are facing the picture. In hanging a pair on the wall, it would therefore be consistent for The Queen to be on the left as well. However, it is a matter of personal choice.
Q: Kyle Leyden - Northern Ireland
It is often remarked that, upon the accession to the Throne of the present Queen, the Crown above the Royal Cypher and the symbol of the State changed from the so-called "King's Crown" to the "Queen's Crown". The former resembles the Imperial State Crown (prior to the lowering of the arches in 1953) and the latter looks more like the Coronation Crown of St. Edward. Was this change made simply because the monarch was a Queen Regnant (and if so, is it not true that Queen Victoria used the "King's Crown" in the latter part of her reign)? Or was there some other reason for the change?
You are correct in saying that the present Queen's cypher incorporates a representation of St. Edward's Crown, with upright, domed sides, whereas George VI's cypher featured a crown with sloping sides more like the Imperial Sate Crown.
However, there are no strict rules regarding the changes in crown design used in a Royal cypher, nor is there a King's Crown used for male monarchs as opposed to a Queen's Crown for female monarchs. The cypher design changes, as does that of the coat of arms, upon the accession of a new monarch, and the new cypher is always different from the preceding monarch's. The design change may include the adjustment of the shape of the crown to distinguish the cyphers.
One discernible trend is that sovereigns named Edward - Edward VII and Edward VIII, for example - have tended to use St. Edward's Crown by virtue of the name association.
During Victoria's reign, the design of the cypher was not standardised and so there were variations in the shape of the crown featured in different media during her long reign.
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