Queen Elizabeth II wore some of the most famous royal jewels in royal history but one set had a very special meaning for her and were well used at some of the most important moments of her historic reign. One of those times was her Platinum Jubilee where she sparkled with a gem that paid tribute to her beloved father, King George VI.

On the eve of the day she became the only British Monarch to reign for 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II was seen at Windsor Castle where she looked at items from past jubilees, her own and those of previous monarchs. Wearing a turquoise dress and her familiar three-strand pearl necklace, Her Late Majesty also wore two aquamarine brooches.

The brooches were older than Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign. She received them as a birthday present from her father in 1944. During an exhibition in 2006, Buckingham Palace described them as: “a pair of Boucheron aquamarine and diamond clip brooches.” They are comprised of baguette, oval and round diamonds and aquamarines. 

Queen Elizabeth II wore these brooches on a regular basis. At times, they were connected into a single brooch, other times they were staggered on her shoulder or worn individually. In 2016, Her Late Majesty wore them during a visit with United States President Barack Obama. She also wore them for her Diamond Jubilee speech in 2012 and for a national address on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020.

They remained one of her most precious items of jewellery throughout her long reign and played a significant role in her Platinum Jubilee.