The Queen’s Greatest Treasures: The Love Story Behind Prince Philip’s Gifts HT
A love story that lasted 73 years… Few people today can speak of such a long and enduring marriage. And no, the life of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip was by no means a fairy tale. There were tests of loyalty, the pressures of the Crown, and immense family scandals played out on the world stage. But few would argue that this royal couple managed to get through it all, remaining by each other’s side, supporting one another, and becoming a true example of a strong, lasting union for the entire world.
And perhaps that is precisely why the gifts Philip gave to Elizabeth were so special. They weren’t just jewels for official functions, but pieces into which he poured his feelings, his memories, and his own personal meaning. Her treasury held hundreds of heirlooms and historic jewels. But it was these gifts, the ones from her husband, that were held closest to the Queen’s heart.
Every stone, every curve of the metal—a quiet reminder of a precious moment in their shared life. So, to truly understand the depth of these gifts, we have to travel back in time. And while many believe their story began in 1939, their paths actually crossed for the very first time five years earlier. It was in 1934, at the grand Westminster Abbey wedding of Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark to Elizabeth’s uncle, the Duke of Kent.
Philip was there as the bride’s first cousin, a twelve-year-old boy, and Elizabeth was a little bridesmaid of just eight. They were children, in the same room at a grand family occasion, but that was all. Just a footnote in history, a fleeting moment that neither of them likely remembered with any clarity.
The real spark, the moment that truly matters, ignited later, in the summer of 1939, at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. And here, the scene is so much more vivid. You can almost picture it: a young, serious princess, now thirteen, on an official visit with her parents. And then she sees him. Prince Philip.
He was eighteen, a tall, strikingly handsome naval cadet with an almost untamed energy. While her parents toured the college, Philip was tasked with entertaining the two young princesses. Her governess would later write that Elizabeth “never took her eyes off him.” He was showing off, jumping over the tennis nets, and for this young girl who had lived such a protected life, he must have seemed like a figure from another world.
And then, just as this connection was made, the world was plunged into war. He went off to serve in the Royal Navy, seeing real action, while she remained at Windsor. They were separated by thousands of miles, but they began to write to one another. And in her rooms, Princess Elizabeth kept a photograph of her handsome prince on her mantelpiece.
Now, we have to remember, this growing affection was not met with universal approval back at the palace. For King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip was not the straightforward, ideal candidate for their beloved daughter. Yes, he was of royal blood, but his background was complicated. He was a Prince of Greece and Denmark, but his family had been exiled.
He had very little financial standing. And perhaps most concerningly in post-war Britain, he had strong German connections; his sisters were married to German aristocrats. He was seen by some courtiers as an outsider, perhaps a bit too confident, too rough around the edges for the future Queen. But Elizabeth, it seems, was quietly determined.
For her, there was no one else. And it’s in these early years, when their relationship was still a private hope rather than a public certainty, that he gave her one of his first, and most telling, gifts. This was long before their engagement, in the early stages of their courtship. It wasn’t a grand jewel, but something deeply personal: a brooch, crafted by Garrard, in the shape of his own Naval Badge.
Think about what this meant. This was his world. For a young man with a complex past, his career in the Royal Navy was his identity, his pride, his future. By giving her this symbol, he was sharing the most important part of himself with her. It was a gesture of immense trust and a way of saying, “This is who I am.
” And this brooch became an incredibly poignant symbol for them, especially in those first precious years of marriage, before she became Queen. When they lived on the island of Malta from 1949 to 1951, while he was stationed there with the Navy, she embraced the life of a naval officer’s wife. It was the most ‘normal’ time of their lives together.
And that small brooch was the perfect emblem of that cherished, private period. So, while this particular piece might not have been worn at grand state occasions decades later, its significance is immense. It represents the very beginning — the young, brave officer she fell in love with, and the private world they shared before duty called.
It laid the foundation for every gift that would follow, where personal meaning would always outweigh carat weight. And the next step in their journey would seal that promise in one of the most famous diamonds of the 20th century… And so, with the war finally over, their private correspondence could at last give way to a future they could plan together.
In the summer of 1946, during a stay at Balmoral, Philip asked the King for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Princess Elizabeth was deeply in love and had made her choice clear. However, her father, while fond of Philip, was protective. He asked them to wait. He wanted Elizabeth to be absolutely certain, to see a bit more of the world before settling down.
The official announcement of their engagement was to be delayed until after her twenty-first birthday the following April. For a young couple in love, this waiting period must have been difficult, but Philip used that time to create the ultimate symbol of his promise. And this is where the story of the ring becomes truly extraordinary, steeped in the history of a fallen empire and a mother’s profound love.
Prince Philip himself had no great fortune. So he turned to his mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. She was a remarkable figure, a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who had faced immense personal hardship. For her son’s engagement, she offered her most treasured possession: a magnificent diamond and aquamarine tiara.
This wasn’t just any tiara. It had been her own wedding gift in 1903, a present from the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia, Nicholas and Alexandra. Imagine that for a moment. Princess Alice gave her son permission to dismantle this historic, deeply personal jewel, a relic from the lost world of the Romanovs, to create a future for him and the woman he loved.
It was the ultimate act of sacrifice and blessing. With these precious stones, Philip went to the London jeweller Philip Antrobus. He wasn’t just a client who dropped off some diamonds; he was an active partner in the creation. He had a clear vision for the ring he wanted for his Elizabeth. He worked closely with the jeweller on the design, ensuring it was perfect.
The final creation was a masterpiece of elegant understatement. He chose platinum, a classic yet modern metal, for the setting. The design focused on a magnificent three-carat brilliant-cut solitaire diamond, with five smaller diamonds paving the shoulders of the ring on either side. It wasn’t ostentatious or overly ornate.
It was designed to showcase the beauty and history of that central stone—a stone that had once belonged to the last Empress of Russia and was now given with a mother’s love. And when he finally placed that ring on her finger, there was one last, wonderfully human detail. It was a little too large. Before the official engagement announcement in July of 1947, the ring had to be quietly resized.
It’s a quiet testament to the fact that even in these grand royal moments, there are these charming, slightly imperfect details that make the story all the more real. From that day forward, that ring never left her finger. It was a constant presence, so much a part of her that it was even said to be part of her quiet, non-verbal language with her staff.
A subtle twist of the ring on her finger was reportedly a discreet sign that she was ready for a conversation to end, a way to gracefully navigate her countless public duties. It was more than just her engagement ring; it was a symbol of his love, his mother’s sacrifice, and a history that connected them to a world that was long gone.
And the remaining diamonds from that historic tiara? Well, they were set aside for another, equally personal gift, one that would be presented on their wedding day… And so, with the engagement finally announced to a delighted public, preparations began for the wedding of the century. It was set for November 20th, 1947, at Westminster Abbey.
We have to remember the world in which this wedding took place. Post-war Britain was a grey, exhausted country, a nation still living with rationing. There was even a debate about whether a grand wedding was appropriate at such a time of austerity. But Winston Churchill famously declared that it would be “a flash of colour on the hard road we have to travel.” And he was right.
The country desperately needed something to celebrate. Princess Elizabeth famously had to use ration coupons to purchase the material for her magnificent wedding gown by Norman Hartnell. And as the day drew near, over 2,500 wedding gifts began to pour into Buckingham Palace from all over the world. But among all these grand gestures, there was one more gift waiting for her, a wedding present that came not from a head of state, but from her groom.
Prince Philip had thoughtfully set aside the remaining diamonds from his mother’s tiara. He returned to the jeweller, Philip Antrobus, with another personal commission. He wanted to create a wedding gift for his bride, a piece that would be a companion to the ring she already wore, a final, beautiful link to the family history she was about to join.
Once again, he was deeply involved in the design. But where the ring was classic and timeless, the bracelet showed a different side of his taste. It was bold, modern, and designed in the fashionable Art Deco style. It featured three large, brilliant-cut diamonds, each set within a geometric square link, connected by elegant vertical sections and all set in platinum.
It was a statement piece—clean, strong, and incredibly chic. It spoke of a modern sensibility, a forward-looking perspective that was very much in tune with Philip’s own character. This bracelet, which became known as the Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet, was his deeply personal wedding gift to her. And it didn’t take long for this piece to become a significant part of her collection.
It began appearing in official portraits in the years immediately following their wedding, quickly becoming one of her most frequently worn bracelets for formal events. It was a constant, glittering reminder of the beginning of their marriage and the man who had so thoughtfully designed it for her. And nearly seventy years later, in a touching gesture of family continuity, Queen Elizabeth would loan this deeply personal bracelet to Catherine, then the Duchess of Cambridge and now the Princess of Wales, allowing a new generation to share in its history.
It was a quiet testament to the enduring significance of a gift given with so much love, all those years ago. And one can only hope that we will see Catherine, the Princess of Wales, continue to wear this beautiful piece, as a tribute not only to the late Queen, but to the great love story that it represents.
Their first years of marriage offered something rare — a brief escape from the demands of royalty. Between 1949 and 1951, while Prince Philip was stationed in Malta, Princess Elizabeth lived with him as a naval officer’s wife. It was a chapter unlike any other: no grand ceremonies, no constant protocol — just a young couple learning to live together.
They had already welcomed Prince Charles and Princess Anne, and Elizabeth embraced the rhythms of married life, far from the spotlight. For once, she was not a future queen, but simply Philip’s wife — managing a household, raising children, and supporting her husband’s career. During this time, she often wore the Naval Badge Brooch — a gift from Philip, and a quiet tribute to his service.
It became a symbol of pride, loyalty, and a love rooted in partnership. Short-lived though it was, their Malta years captured something essential: a bond built on duty and devotion, forged away from the public eye — where they were not monarch and consort, but simply Elizabeth and Philip. That idyllic chapter on Malta, that brief period of sun-drenched normality, came to a sudden end in February of 1952.
The news of her father’s death reached them while they were in Kenya, at the start of what was meant to be a long Commonwealth tour. In that instant, everything changed. The young woman who had been a naval officer’s wife walked down the steps of the plane back in London as Queen Elizabeth the Second. The immense weight of the monarchy had settled upon her shoulders, years before she had ever expected.
For Prince Philip, this moment also marked a profound turning point. His promising naval career, a world in which he had thrived, would now come to an end. He was to be her consort, a position that required him to forge a new purpose for himself at the very heart of the monarchy. This was a period of immense adjustment for them both, as they navigated the new reality of their public and private lives.
Philip would later recall in a 2011 interview, “I had just been promoted to commander and the fact was that the most interesting part of my naval career was just starting. But then equally, if I stopped and thought about it, being married to the Queen, it seemed to me my first duty was to serve her in the best way I could.
” And it is in this context of transition and redefinition that we come to their fifth wedding anniversary in November of 1952. The gift he designed for her then is a remarkable piece of storytelling, a personal code that speaks volumes about their partnership and their path forward. This time, he collaborated with the Parisian jeweller Boucheron, though the design was once again driven by his personal vision.
The bracelet he created is a masterpiece of storytelling, masterfully weaving their two lives into one balanced narrative. Crafted from gold with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, its main links are formed from their interlocking initials: a scrolling ‘E’ for Elizabeth and a stylised ‘P’ for Philip. It’s a powerful, visual representation of their union as a team.
Then, he incorporates symbols of their individual heritage. There are two beautiful York roses, crafted in gold and rubies, a clear and respectful nod to her identity, to the title she held when he first fell in love with her: Princess Elizabeth of York. Alongside them, there are crosses rendered in sapphires and rubies, reflecting the national colours of both Greece and Great Britain—a tribute to his own royal roots.
And at the very centre, the focal point of the entire piece, he places his own naval badge in gold and diamonds. This wasn’t a lament for a lost career, but an act of preservation. The identity he held as a naval officer is enshrined here, at the heart of their story, a permanent acknowledgment of the man he was.
This bracelet is a masterpiece of personal symbolism. It tells the story of the English rose and the Greek sailor, a story of two lives and two histories, now irrevocably intertwined. As the years moved on into the 1960s and then the 70s, their life entered a new phase. The Queen was no longer a young, new monarch; she was a seasoned and deeply respected head of state.
Their family was complete with the births of Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, and their partnership had found its steady, confident rhythm. The world outside the palace walls was changing dramatically, and this era of cultural shift seems to be reflected in the wonderfully unexpected nature of Prince Philip’s gifts.
By this time, the Queen’s jewellery collection was, of course, immense. It was filled with historic diamonds, perfectly symmetrical tiaras, and pieces inherited from generations of monarchs. But Prince Philip had his own distinct taste, a genuine and well-documented passion for modern, innovative design and industry.
He had even established the Duke of Edinburgh’s Prize for Elegant Design to encourage new talent in Britain. And it’s this personal interest that makes his next gifts to the Queen so fascinating. In 1966, he acquired a truly remarkable piece for her. It was a brooch made by Andrew Grima, a jeweller who was a true artist, a revolutionary in his field at the time.
Grima wasn’t making delicate, traditional royal jewels. He worked with textured yellow gold, unconventional stones, and abstract, almost sculptural forms. His work was the very definition of mid-century modern chic. The piece Philip chose is known as the Grima Ruby Brooch, or the Scarab Brooch. It’s an abstract sunburst of carved ruby and gold, with scattered diamonds.
It was bold, it was avant-garde, and it was pure Philip. And it clearly held a special place in the Queen’s heart, becoming a go-to piece for significant personal moments. She chose it for her Christmas Broadcast in 2018, and most notably, she wore this vibrant, personal gift for the official portraits marking their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.
It was, without a doubt, their jewel. And this appreciation for a bolder aesthetic continued. Another firm favourite from the early 1970s is the Golden Dahlia, sometimes called the Frosted Sunflower brooch. While its origins are not officially documented, it is widely believed to have been another gift from Prince Philip.
And it certainly fits his taste—this piece, made by Garrard, is again a confident, stylized flower crafted from yellow gold and studded with diamonds. And these modern, confident gifts arrived during a period when their partnership had truly solidified into something powerful and effective. While the Queen was navigating a rapidly changing world, dealing with immense political and social shifts, Prince Philip had firmly established his own significant public role.
He was championing British industry, technology, and conservation long before it became a global cause. But behind the scenes, he was the undisputed head of the family. He managed the estates of Sandringham and Balmoral, took the lead on the children’s upbringing, and most importantly, he was her private confidant.
He remained the one person on earth who could treat the Queen simply as his wife, make her laugh with his famously unfiltered sense of humour, and offer an honest opinion when no one else would. And while Prince Philip’s personal gifts tell us so much about their relationship, there is one particular jewel, one that was not a gift from him at all, that became the silent witness to one of their most poignant and public declarations of enduring love.
Its story isn’t about the moment it was given, but about the moments the Queen chose to wear it. The piece is the Sapphire Chrysanthemum brooch. It’s a beautiful, significant jewel in its own right—a large, stylized chrysanthemum flower, its petals paved with diamonds, with a cluster of rich sapphires at its heart, all set in platinum.
This brooch came into the Queen’s collection very early on, even before her marriage. In 1946, the then Princess Elizabeth received it as a gift when she launched an oil tanker, appropriately named the “British Princess”. So, this brooch started its life as a piece commemorating a public duty. But very soon after, it became associated with a deeply personal moment.
In November of 1947, during their honeymoon, the newly married couple stayed at Broadlands in Hampshire, the country home of Philip’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten. It was a rare, private time for them, away from the public gaze. And for a series of now-famous photographs taken during that happy, relaxed time, Princess Elizabeth chose to wear the Sapphire Chrysanthemum brooch.
Those images captured the beginning of their life together: a young couple, full of hope and affection, at the start of their long journey. Decades passed. Their life unfolded on the world stage. They raised a family, navigated countless crises, and grew into their roles as monarch and consort. The world changed around them, but their partnership remained a constant.
And then, in November of 2007, an extraordinary milestone was reached: their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Sixty years of marriage. To mark this incredible occasion, the Queen and Prince Philip decided to release a new series of official portraits. And for these photographs, they chose to return to the very same place where they had spent part of their honeymoon: Broadlands.
The setting was not the only echo of the past. They consciously recreated the poses from those beloved photographs taken sixty years earlier. The images are a remarkable parallel. He is looking at her with that same familiar, affectionate expression. She has that same quiet, gentle smile. And pinned to her coat, just as it was in 1947, is the very same jewel.
The Sapphire Chrysanthemum brooch. The gesture was unmistakable. It was a deliberate, quiet, and deeply personal nod back across six decades, to the very beginning of their life together. It’s a remarkable visual echo, connecting the young couple on their honeymoon with the monarch and her consort, still side-by-side after a lifetime of shared experience.
It shows us how deeply they cherished those early memories, and how, even after sixty years, they chose to celebrate not with grandeur, but with a quiet, powerful reminder of where it all began. The passing of Prince Philip in April of 2021 marked the end of an era. For 73 years, he had been, as the Queen herself so famously said, her “strength and stay all these years.
” The loss was profound, a seismic shift in the life of a monarch who had had him by her side since she was a young woman. And in the quiet, dignified months that followed, as she navigated her grief in the public eye, she found a way to speak of him without words. She spoke through her jewels. First came Christmas.
For her annual broadcast in December of 2021, her first since his passing, she sat beside a photograph of them taken at Broadlands to mark their diamond anniversary. It’s a familiar, cherished image. And pinned to her red dress was a jewel that was both poignant and perfectly chosen: the Sapphire Chrysanthemum brooch.
The very same brooch she is wearing in that photograph. The very same brooch she wore on their honeymoon all those years ago. It was a complete, unbroken circle of love, a silent message connecting the beginning of their journey to its end. Then, a few months later, at the Service of Thanksgiving for his life in March of 2022, a deeply personal and emotional day for the Queen, she made another very deliberate choice.
Pinned to her coat, in a shade of dark green that was his official livery colour, was the Grima Ruby Brooch. That modern, passionate, artistic gift he had given her in 1966. On the very day the nation gathered to celebrate his life, she chose to wear a symbol of his personality, his modern spirit, keeping a piece of his essence close to her heart.
Of course, the most constant symbol of all, her engagement ring, remained on her hand until the very end, the silent foundation of their lifelong promise. And the legacy of his gifts continues, as we see the wedding bracelet now worn by Catherine, the Princess of Wales, a story of love passed to a new generation.
For a woman who lived her entire life under the gaze of the world, these jewels were a private language, a way to hold on to the man she loved. He was her constant companion and confidant for over seven decades. After his passing, many observers felt a certain light had gone out. The Queen would follow him less than eighteen months later, a poignant final chapter to a partnership so deeply intertwined that it’s hard to imagine one part ever truly existing without the other.
And so, we come to the end of our story. As we look back at these beautiful jewels, they cease to be just objects. They become chapters in one of the great love stories of our time. I have to admit, every time I delve into their history, I’m just completely captivated. There is something almost like a fairy tale about it all, isn’t there? The handsome, dashing prince and the young princess who would become Queen.
The secret letters, the historic diamonds, the private jokes and shared glances over seventy-three years. It’s all so incredibly romantic, so touching. And then you remember that this wasn’t a story from a book. This was real. These were two people who built a life together under the most extraordinary circumstances, and that, for me, makes my heart flutter every time.
It’s a beautiful, true love story that spanned a lifetime. And the gifts that Prince Philip gave her… they are just mesmerising. Each one tells us something so personal about him, about them. It was his way of leaving his mark, of sharing his own passions, and of reminding her, and perhaps himself, of the man she fell in love with.
But now, I would love to know what you think. Are you as captivated by their story as I am? Or perhaps I’m a bit of a romantic, seeing it all through rose-tinted glasses? What do you feel when you see these pieces and hear the stories behind them? And which of his gifts do you find the most meaningful? I truly would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you so much for joining me today and for allowing me to share this beautiful story with you. If you enjoyed our time together, please consider giving this video a ‘like’ and subscribing to the channel for more stories from the royal jewellery box.