Happy Jubilee, Your Majesty! Monarch wears 18th birthday brooches gifted to her by King George VI as she’s joined by her dorgi to view memorabilia marking the 70th anniversary of her accession at Windsor Castle
- The Queen, 95, beamed in photographs taken at Windsor Castle as she studied the memorabilia display
- Paid a touching tribute to her late father by wearing a pair of clip brooches given to her by her parents
- Royal viewed cards from well-wishers, before leaning down to stroke one of her pet dorgis Candy
- A series of photographs propped behind her showed Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince Harry
- Meanwhile a third image appeared to show Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie posing together
The Queen paid a touching tribute to her late father, whose death began the start of her reign, when she viewed Jubilee memorabilia as she prepares to reach her historic 70 years on the throne.
Photographs have been released of Her Majesty, 95, looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle.
The monarch opted to wear her aquamarine and diamond clip brooches, worn separately in a diagonal setting on her turquoise dress. The jewels were an 18th birthday present from her beloved ‘Papa’, George VI, in April 1944.
In the snaps, the royal can be seen beaming as she views cards from well-wishers, before leaning down to stroke her pet dog Candy.
Meanwhile there were a number of personal photographs propped against a table in the background of the image, including photographs of Kate Middleton with Prince William, the Duke with his brother Prince Harry, and a third showing Princess Beatrice and Eugenie.
She is expected to spend Accession Day, on February 6, with her family during an extended break at Wood Farm cottage in Sandringham and will mark her Platinum Jubilee in private.
The Queen, 95, paid a touching tribute to her late father, whose death began the start of her reign, when she viewed Jubilee memorabilia as she prepares to reach her historic 70 years on the throne
One image of Prince William and Kate Middleton was taken during their engagement photoshoot in 2010.
A second appeared to show Prince William alongside Prince Harry, although it is not clear when this image was taken.
Meanwhile a third image shows two figures posing together, one of whom has red hair, while the other has brunette locks. It’s unclear if this image shows Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
The Queen’s two art deco-style pieces were made by Boucheron from baguette, oval and round diamonds and aquamarines.
She also chose to wear the precious brooches when she addressed the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 and for her Diamond Jubilee televised speech in 2012.
The Queen was looking through a display of memorabilia from the golden and platinum jubilees as her pooch Candy trotted into the oak room at Windsor Castle.
Photographs have been released of Her Majesty looking at her Platinum Jubilee cards and memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle
Her aquamarine and diamond clip brooches, worn separately in a diagonal setting on her turquoise dress, were an 18th birthday present from her beloved ‘Papa’, George VI, in April 1944
The Queen’s personal treasures: How the royal has taken to wearing her 18th birthday present from her beloved parents
Personal treasures: The Queen wore a pair of aquamarine brooches given to her by her parents for the State Opening of Parliament last year
The art deco-style Boucheron clips have become a favourite of the Queen.
The brooches are made of aquamarine and diamonds, and in a typical 1940s design combine baguette, oval and round stones.
The distinctive style of the brooches – one often used by Cartier – led many jewellery experts to believe the clips were actually the work of the brand, which is why they are often incorrectly identified as the Cartier aquamarine clips.
However, they were correctly identified as Boucheron ones in Leslie Field’s The Queen’s Jewels.
The clips can be worn in a number of different ways: as matching clips, on either shoulder or as a single brooch.
The Queen usually wears them – as she did today – as separate clips, one above the other, on her left shoulder.
Due to the translucent nature of the jewels, the Queen typically wears them with blue or pale purple fabrics that enhance the natural colour.
She has worn the pieces on a host of occasions over the years, including the State Opening of Parliament last year.
She also wore the jewels to deliver her televised message on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May 2020.
Favourite accessory: The Queen wore the brooches to deliver her VE Day anniversary message last year (left)
Candy is a dorgi – a cross between a corgi and a dachshund – and she made a lap of the room, inspecting a small group of media representatives capturing the viewing.
The Queen said: ‘And where did you come from? I know what you want,’ likely to be a reference to a treat, and called Candy over and gave her a stroke.
The monarch, who has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, currently has three dogs – Candy now quite elderly, a young corgi called Muick, and another corgi puppy which replaced Fergus the dorgi puppy, who died unexpectedly in May last year.
Candy was present when the Queen held a face-to-face audience with the outgoing armed forces chief General Sir Nick Carter in November, walking forward to greet the senior figure.
One card celebrating the 2002 Golden Jubilee caught the Queen’s eye – it was made from eight bottle tops including milk, Coca-Cola and Schweppes bottles, and had the handwritten words ‘Ma’am You’re The Tops’.
‘That’s good, simple but ingenious,’ said the Queen to Dr Stella Panayotova, librarian and assistant keeper of the royal archives, who joined her for the viewing two weeks ago.
The display included a Golden Jubilee letter from a nine-year-old boy called Chris, titled ‘A Recipe For A Perfect Queen’.
Its list of ingredients – which included ‘500ml of royal blood’, a ‘dab of jewels and posh gowns’ and ‘a dash of loyalty’ – made the Queen laugh and she said: ‘That’s quite fun, isn’t it.’
Platinum Jubilee cards were also on display and the Queen praised the design of one featuring a picture of her as a young woman surrounded by flowers with the words ’70 Glorious Years’.
Recipes and pictures of entries to the Platinum Pudding competition were on display, showing the results of cooks who have risen to the challenge of creating a memorable dessert fit for the Queen and the nation.
Another royal aide told the Queen: ‘We’ve had a number of Platinum Pudding competition entries that have been coming in in recent weeks. People have been very creative.’
The monarch browsed through the images of the entries and later said: ‘Looks like they’re all going to end with crowns on them.’
She also studied a fan presented to Queen Victoria to mark her Golden Jubilee in 1887 by the then Prince and Princess of Wales, later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
In the years after Victoria’s jubilee it was signed by members of her family including her eldest child, the Princess Royal, known as Vicky to her relatives, and granddaughter Princess Alix, later the Tsarina of Russia, and the then prime minister the Marquess of Salisbury.
The Queen opened the fan and remarked how easily it could have been damaged when being signed, adding: ‘Extraordinary isn’t it, and it still shuts.’
Commenting on the signatures she said: ‘Well that’s very interesting to see, quite a gathering.’
Elizabeth II came to the throne 70 years ago this Sunday when, on February 6 1952, the ailing king, who had lung cancer, died at Sandringham in the early hours.
At the time, the monarch, now 95, was in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour with the Duke of Edinburgh.
They had spent the previous night at the remote Treetops Hotel, accessible via a ladder, in Aberdare Forest, where they watched baboons in the jungle and took photographs of the sunrise.
The Queen, who is staying on the Sandringham estate, usually spends each Accession Day privately, reflecting on the bittersweet anniversary of the loss of her father and the start of her reign.
Close to her father as a child, Elizabeth is said to be similar to him in character, sharing the same dedicated professionalism.
‘Bertie’, as he was known to his family, became king in 1936 after the abdication crisis sparked by his brother Edward VIII, who gave up the throne over his love affair with divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.
Faced with the challenge of restoring the public’s faith in the monarchy, George VI emerged as a steadfast figurehead for the nation during the Second World War.
Elizabeth II is just two days away from her 70th anniversary on the throne on Sunday, when she will become the first British sovereign in history to reach such a milestone.
Meanwhile there were a number of personal photographs propped against a table in the background of the image, including photographs of Kate Middleton with Prince William, the Duke with his brother Prince Harry, and a third showing Princess Beatrice and Eugenie
This Jubilee will poignantly be the first the monarch has commemorated without Philip, who died in April.
While the Queen’s Accession Day falls on February 6, national celebrations are being held on a special four-day bank holiday weekend in June, with festivities including a pop concert at the Palace, a service of thanksgiving and a pageant on The Mall.
The monarch is currently staying on the Sandringham estate, where she will remain for the anniversary, which simultaneously marks the death of her father George VI and the moment she became Queen in 1952.
The Queen’s jubilee celebrations have been tainted by her son Prince Andrew’s controversy surrounding his friendship with late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and a court case being brought against him in the US.
Andrew could lose his round-the-clock police protection as early as next month after he was exiled as a frontline royal.
Birthday girl: The then Princess Elizabeth with her parents on her 18th birthday. She was given the aquamarine brooches as a gift, although she is not wearing them here
Sources say a full review of his security is being carried out by Scotland Yard and the Home Office following last week’s decision by the Queen to strip her son of his remaining military and charitable affiliations and stop him using his HRH title.
A close associate of the Duke has now claimed he could have his royal patronages restored if he wins the civil case against him while The Queen is alive – but it would be ‘less predictable’ if Charles was the monarch.
Andrew is currently facing a court battle in New York as a private citizen after being banned from using the styling ‘HRH’.
Judge Lewis Kaplan last month sensationally ruled that the Queen’s second son can be tried over claims he sexually assaulted Ms Giuffre when she was 17 — allegations which Andrew has categorically denied.
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