During the coronation on Saturday, Queen Camilla donned a historical necklace. It is famously known as “the Coronation Necklace” and was originally created for Queen Victoria in 1858, containing a total of 26 diamonds, with a giant 22.48-carat pendant called the Lahore diamond.
The Lahore diamond was initially part of the Lahore Treasure in the Punjab region of what is now Pakistan, but was taken over by British colonists in 1849, and “presented to Queen Victoria in 1851,” according to the Royal Collection. The Koh-i-Noor is a famous diamond that was once part of the Lahore Treasure and is now part of the British Crown Jewels.
Queen Victoria adored the necklace and wore it in her portraits for her Diamond Jubilee. Later on, in 1902, Queen Alexandra was the first to wear the necklace in a coronation ceremony, followed by Queen Mary in 1911, and then by the Queen Mother Elizabeth in 1937.
Queen Victoria’s jeweler Garrard also crafted a pair of diamond pendant Coronation Earrings to complement the necklace.
They consist of a pair of cushion-cut diamond collet studs and two large pear-shaped pendants.
In 1953, Queen Elizabeth chose the Coronation Necklace and Earrings as her primary pieces of jewelry for her coronation ceremony.
She continued to wear the set for various special occasions throughout her reign, including state dinners.
The historic event, which included the crowning, was held at Westminster Abbey on May 6, even though King Charles, 74, instantly succeeded to the crown following Queen Elizabeth’s passing in September and proclaimed Queen Camilla, 75, as his Queen Consort the following day.
In order to observe a time of bereavement and to give time for ceremony preparations, the coronation was delayed.
Bruce Oldfield, whose work Camilla has sported on numerous occasions, created the coronation gown for the queen. Eliot Zed, a British designer, created her shoes for her using the same silk fabric as the outfit worn by Queen Camilla.
During her crowning moment, Queen Camilla wore the Queen Mary’s Crown, a spectacular piece of jewelry set with 2,200 diamonds, which was made for King Charles’ great-grandmother for the coronation of her husband, King George V, in 1911.
The historic service, including the crowning, was postponed to respect a period of mourning and to allow sufficient time for preparations for the ceremony.
