Buckingham Palace is facing questions over missing jewellery worth £80m

On various occasions, the public has been able to see the Royal Family’s beautiful collection of jewellery, which a lot has been gifted to them over the years. The jewellery collection belongs to the reigning monarch.

Since Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, the collection has been passed down to King Charles. A lot of the pieces are shared between the family and we often see the women of the Royal Family wear pieces worn by the late Queen, even while she was alive. Indeed, many of the tiaras have been worn by the women of the family for their wedding day. The tiara Princess Eugenie wore was by far the most expensive.

However, even if the pieces are gifted to the Royal Family, they have to be held in a trove of national heritage and it seems like a number of pieces are missing.

Gifts to the Royal Family are not kept by the Palace

As reported by The Guardian, any gift that has been offered to the Royal Family does not belong to the person it was gifted to. A spokesperson for the Palace explained:

Official gifts are not the personal property of the member of the royal family who receives them, but may be held by the sovereign in right of the crown or designated in due course as part of the royal collection

The Palace implemented a policy on official gifts, first in 1995 which was then updated in 2003. This policy states that the gifts the Royal Family receive during state visits are not their private property.

11 pieces of jewellery are missing

According to The Guardian, there are 11 pieces of jewellery missing from the trove of national heritage. Collectively, these pieces are estimated to be worth £80 million.

Any gift given to a member of the Royal Family ‘automatically’ becomes part of the royal collection, which manages items of the sovereign in trust for the nation.

The Royal Collection Trust has confirmed that 11 jewels are not in their custody.

Among the missing pieces is a set of aquamarine jewellery, four brooches and six necklaces, including the impressive Cartier necklace of emerald- and brilliant-cut diamonds. This necklace alone is estimated to be worth £40m and was gifted to Queen Elizabeth by an Indian prince.

However, the pieces that are missing were gifted to the late Queen before the Palace's policy was implemented. This has created a grey area, meaning that it is not sure whether the gifts received by the late Queen before the policy was set up should be in the trove of national heritage.

Buckingham Palace's reaction to the missing jewellery

According to The Guardian, Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the situation. A spokesperson allegedly refused 'multiple invitations' to explain why the missing pieces of jewellery are not in the trove of national heritage and who has possession of them currently.

Read more:

⋙ Kate Middleton owns jewellery worth £82 million, check out her most expensive piece (PHOTO)

⋙ Kate Middleton may inherit the Queen's most sentimental gift worth $​​80 million

⋙ King Charles inherited gift worth £392 million from Queen Elizabeth

Sources used:

The Guardian: ‘Official jewellery gifts to royals worth £80m are not in national collection’