Jewels of Charlotte, Elizabeth, and Diana

Our newest little tiara-wearer officially has a name! Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge, the newest British princess, is settling down with her parents in England. To celebrate her name, let’s have a look at some of the jewels she might one day wear from her namesakes, shall we?

The longest-serving queen consort in British history, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, is also the new Princess Charlotte’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother! Unfortunately, if little Princess Charlotte wants to wear diamonds that belonged to Queen Charlotte one day, her options in the British collection are rather slim. Perhaps when her mother is queen consort, she’ll loan Charlotte the diamond fringe necklace that once belonged to Queen Adelaide. That piece, which is made in part of diamonds from some of Queen Charlotte’s chivalric insignia, is one of the only items in the UK vaults that includes gemstones once worn by Queen Charlotte.

There’s a specific reason for that: in the 1850s, Queen Victoria lost a lawsuit and was forced to hand over all of Queen Charlotte’s diamonds to her Hanoverian cousins. This included, for example, the small diamond nuptial crown that still belongs to the Hanoverian royals today. But little Charlotte might be able to try on some of the pieces that were made specifically to replace Queen Charlotte’s jewels. That treasure trove includes the Coronation Necklace and Earrings, as well as Queen Victoria’s set of bow brooches.

Baby Charlotte is much more closely related to two recent women who share the name Elizabeth: Queen Elizabeth II and her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (better known to us as the Queen Mother). She’ll have plenty of chances to try on jewelry that belonged to the Queen Mum, including pieces from the Greville bequest — including the gorgeous chandelier earrings and the massive festoon necklace — and more sentimental items, like the Cartier tiara worn by Charlotte’s mother on her wedding day. I’d also suggest that the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose Tiara would be the perfect first tiara for this little Cambridge princess!

Charlotte will also possibly have the chance to borrow some of the jewels that belong to her great-grandmother, Elizabeth II. Her dainty South African diamonds and the gorgeous, feminine Flame Lily Brooch would be perfect for a little princess.

There are plenty of pieces of jewelry in the Windsor vaults today that have sentimental connections to Princess Charlotte’s grandmother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales. And while we haven’t seen many of them in recent years — likely in deference to Diana’s memory — Princess Charlotte might be the perfect person to bring them out again.

Perhaps we’ll see her dust off the Lover’s Knot Tiara (popularly called the “Cambridge Lover’s Knot,” after all!) or the Saudi sapphires? (You can read about my top ten favorite pieces of Diana’s jewelry over here!)