Around this time each year, the royal households release lists of official gifts given to members of the royal family in the previous year. This year seems a bit lacking on mention of significant jewelry gifts for The Queen, sadly enough for this blog. Just a few jewels are present, and as always we have nothing further than these descriptions to know if we're talking about anything Her Majesty would actually wear:
- A silver filigree brooch presented by the President of Bulgaria, who visited for an audience
- A brooch in the form of the Armed Forces Day Flag from a member of the public
- A round silver brooch of Celtic design from the Royal British Legion, presented during the visit to Northern Ireland
The usual array of oddities and selected treasures is present in the 102 gifts she received this year as well, including a miniature Iron Throne from her visit to the
Game of Thrones set, a set of Sèvres porcelain from President Hollande of France, and quite a few horse-themed presents.
The Queen with her mini Iron Throne
The big winners in the year's gift stakes were the Cambridges. The Duke and Duchess and Prince George returned from just their Australia/New Zealand tour with well over a thousand gifts in tow, and George was given more than anyone else. The Duchess seems to have picked up the most when it comes to jewelry as well. Among her treasures are a pair of pearl earrings from the Mayor of Christchurch, a white metal necklace and brooch from the CEO of the Cricket World Cup, a silver pendant from the CEO of the New South Wales Waratahs, a silver and opal brooch from the Governor General of Australia, a silver necklace and pair of earrings from the Governor of South Australia, another opal brooch from an individual, and many, many more pieces. These are only vaguely described (if they are described at all) in the lists.
The Duchess of Cornwall's gifts included a pair of emerald and gold earrings from the First Lady of Colombia, a pair of gold plated earrings from an individual during the Colombia/Mexico trip, an agate necklace and earrings from an individual during their Canada trip, a pair of white metal rings for the couple from the Chief Executive of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, and more. The Duchess did not accompany her husband on his brief trip to the Gulf states in 2014, a trip which surely would have loaded her up on the jewel side.
The Duchess of Cornwall's emerald earrings from the First Lady of Colombia
Links for more on the 2014 gifts:
