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| The Teck Earrings |
Composed of a central pearl surrounded by 8 diamonds in a square formation, the earrings worn by the Queen on her wedding day were a gift from Queen Mary. Mary inherited them from her mother, Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck on her death in 1897; Mary Adelaide originally inherited the earrings from her aunt, Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester in 1857.
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| Princess Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck (left); Queen Mary (right) |
When Mary inherited them, the Teck earrings were the detachable top part of a larger pair of earrings called the
Duchess of Gloucester's Pendant Earrings. Both Mary and her mother wore the top part separately, and Mary eventually separated them into two pairs of earrings. She gave the Teck earrings to her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth on January 31, 1947, the day Elizabeth set out for a tour of South Africa with her parents and sister.
Elizabeth wore the earrings on her wedding day, as well as for the photographs taken of her and Philip on their honeymoon. The earrings reappeared to recreate their honeymoon pictures for their 60th wedding anniversary.
Appearances:
03 June 2013:
Royal National Institute of Blind People Reception
2009: Festival of Remembrance
1947:
The Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten
Photos: Leslie Field/Royal Collection/Life
