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| Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attend the Order of the Garter Service, 14 June 2004 (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
Get excited, everybody: after last year’s hiatus (thanks to the general election), Garter Day festivities return today at Windsor Castle! Although the Queen wears the same attire — the robes of the Order of the Garter — every year for the service, the day gives us a chance to see some unusual outings from the Queen’s earring collection. Here’s a look at the earrings she’s worn on the day for the past two decades.
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 14 June 1999 (MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP/Getty Images) |
1999: Diamond and pearl earrings (possibly the ones now loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge)
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| Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh attend the Order of the Garter Service, 19 June 2000 (ARTHUR EDWARDS/AFP/Getty Images) |
2000: Queen Victoria’s Pearl Drop Earrings, presented to Victoria by Prince Albert in 1847 and later designated as Heirlooms of the Crown
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 18 June 2001 (ALASTAIR GRANT/AFP/Getty Images) |
2001: The Coronation Earrings, made for Queen Victoria in 1858 following the Hanoverian Claim; she later designated them Heirlooms of the Crown
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 17 June 2002 (MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP/Getty Images) |
2002: Another pair of diamond and pearl earrings from the Queen’s collection
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 16 June 2003 (MARTYN HAYHOW/AFP/Getty Images) |
2003: The Queen’s Diamond Girandole Earrings, described by Leslie Field as being “antique”
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 14 June 2004 (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
2004: Another outing for the Coronation Earrings
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 13 June 2005 (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images) |
2005: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Stud Earrings, which date to at least the 1870s
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 19 June 2006 (JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP/Getty Images) |
2006: Queen Mary’s Floret Earrings, which were made for Mary by Garrard in 1939 using a pair of large brilliants given to her as a wedding present by Sir William Mackinnon in 1893
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 18 June 2007 (LUKE MACGREGOR/AFP/Getty Images) |
2007: The George VI Sapphire Earrings, part of a nineteenth-century suite of diamond and sapphire jewelry given to the Queen by her father as a wedding present in 1947
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 16 June 2008 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) |
2008: Queen Mary’s Ruby Cluster Earrings, given to Mary by King George V as a fifty-ninth birthday present in 1926
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 15 June 2009 (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images) |
2009: The Dubai Sapphire and Diamond Earrings, part of a suite of jewelry presented to the Queen in 1979
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 14 June 2010 (ALASTAIR GRANT/AFP/Getty Images) |
2010: The Crown Ruby Earrings, which were originally set with opals when Prince Albert purchased them for Queen Victoria from Garrard in 1854; Queen Alexandra later had them reset with rubies
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 13 June 2011 (Andrew Winning-WPA Pool/Getty Images) |
2011: The Modern Sapphire Suite Earrings, part of a set of jewels that may have been a gift from Saudi Arabia
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 18 June 2012 (Gareth Cattermole/AFP/Getty Images) |
2012: Another outing for the Crown Ruby Earrings
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 17 June 2013 (Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images) |
2013: The Queen’s Diamond Frame Earrings, which are currently loaned to the Duchess of Cambridge
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 16 June 2014 (Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images) |
2014: Another outing for the Queen’s Diamond Girandole Earrings
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 15 June 2015 (Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images) |
2015: Another outing for Queen Victoria’s Pearl Drop Earrings
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| Queen Elizabeth II attends the Order of the Garter Service, 13 June 2016 (Chris Jackson/Getty Images) |
2016: Another outing for the Coronation Earrings
Which earrings are you hoping to see the Queen wear today for Garter Day?