The Queen’s clothes and jewels: Who inherits her enormous collection? (2024)

Queen Elizabeth’s $447 million fortune is set to be split among members of her family following her death earlier this month at the age of 96.

But royal watchers are wondering what will happen to her huge collection of clothing and jewelry.

The monarch was famed for her classic sense of style, wearing colorful coordinated outfits at local functions and dazzling in expensive, elegant ball gowns at international events.

The Queen’s wardrobe will likely be split mostly between Kate Middleton and Queen Consort Camilla, according to royal experts.

Ingrid Seward, the editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, said future queen Middleton is likely to inherit a considerable number of Elizabeth’s ensembles — as well as “the lion’s share” of her personal jewelry. While Middleton gets “first choice,” Camilla will get the leftovers, she claimed.

However, some of her most memorable ensembles will be taken by a royal trust for preservation and future display in museums.

“I would expect some of her iconic outfits, such as her Jubilee ensembles or the coats and hats worn to royal weddings, would certainly be preserved for historical purposes,” royal expert Christine Ross told Daily Mail.

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“The Historic Royal Palaces Collection preserves a number of Queen Victoria’s and Princess Diana’s clothes, and Queen Elizabeth’s clothes hold as much historical importance and interest,” she said.

Ross added: “I have no doubt that her wedding gown and coronation gown would be preserved by the Royal Collection Trust, and would be placed on display frequently.”

The expert claims that the Queen — who was vastly aware of her own influence and historical significance — would likely have sorted and organized her collections prior to her death.

Clothing that was of less historical significance is likely set to be given to family members — and her granddaughters and great-granddaughters could be in for a windfall.

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“Items from the Queen’s personal collection would have been passed to her family members with each chosen personally by Her Majesty. Like any treasured heirloom, these are certainly very special pieces,” Ross stated.

“Many of the Queen’s ball gowns could be altered to suit Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the new Princess of Wales [Middleton], or even Princess Charlotte and Lilibet in the future,” she added.

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Meanwhile, The Post previously reported that the Queen’s collection of tiaras will similarly be split — with many going into a royal collection, while others will be handed down to family members.

As for other pieces of jewelry, it appears Middleton — crowned the new Princess of Wales — could come away with the bulk of the pieces.

“I imagine Her late Majesty’s personal jewelry will be given to various members of her family. The Princess of Wales as the future queen receiving the lion’s share,” Seward told the Daily Mail.

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However, the late monarch’s daughter-in-law Queen Consort Camilla won’t walk away empty-handed.

“There are pieces which will remain for use of the reigning monarch’s wife — in this case, Camilla. She will need a large collection to support her constitutional role,” Seward added.

The Queen’s clothes and jewels: Who inherits her enormous collection? (2024)

FAQs

The Queen’s clothes and jewels: Who inherits her enormous collection? ›

While many of Queen Elizabeth's most prized possessions have been handed down to King Charles III and the Queen Consort, other members of the royal family have been photographed wearing historic pieces from her collection.

What happens to the Queen's clothes after she dies? ›

Some pieces probably ballgowns will be refashioned for other members of the Royal family who can also choose any other pieces they wish to have. Remaining things will be auctioned off for charities.

What did Harry inherit from the Queen? ›

They received 10 million each after taxes and receive dividends at age 25 of $450,000 a year. They also were left $17.9 million from the Queen Mother. Everything is left to the Monarch and they distribute that money. Queen Elizabeth took 2/3 of her Mother's estate and divided between all the grandchildren.

What happens to the Queen's jewelry collection? ›

The Queen never gave away pieces from the Crown jewels; these are part of the Royal collection and are passed down through the generations. Also, as a general practice, members of the royal family do not publicly discuss or disclose information about their personal jewellery collections.

Who will inherit the Queen's pearl necklace? ›

Who inherited Queen Elizabeth's pearl necklace? According to Showbiz Cheatsheet, it turns out that the queen's daughter, Princess Anne, ended up with this iconic piece of jewlery. And considering the shared love of pearls between mother and daughter, it makes perfect sense.

Will Camilla inherit the Queen's Jewels? ›

If tradition prevails, most of the Queen's personal jewels will be passed on to King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It is speculated that Catherine, Princess of Wales will also receive some of the jewels as she will eventually be Queen.

What does the Queen do with her worn clothes? ›

However, she does a lot of private events which aren't photographed by the press because they're inside Buckingham Palace and the outfits are also re-worn for these. When the outfits are retired some are kept for display in exhibitions, some are eventually reworked into new outfits and some are donated.

How much did Kate Middleton inherit from the Queen? ›

So what did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen's personal jewelry collection, which includes 300 pieces that belonged specifically to the Queen and not the Crown.

What did Princess Anne inherit from the Queen? ›

Queen Elizabeth's natural pearl necklace

The necklace is estimated to be worth between $1 million and $1.2 million. Style experts from Diamonds Factory Ireland told Daily Express that after the queen's death, her necklace went to her daughter Princess Anne- a fan of pearls.

What did Camilla inherit from Queen? ›

When the duch*ess of Cornwall became Queen Consort on 9th September 2022, following the death of Her late Majesty, she inherited the largest collection of jewelry in the world—often surmised to be worth in the region of $120 million (£100 million).

Who inherited the Queen's engagement ring? ›

It's more than likely that a piece that special was left to someone outside of that aforementioned pecking order entirely: Queen Elizabeth's daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal.

Who inherited the Queen's mother's jewelry? ›

And in 2002, when Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother passed away, she also left all her jewelry to Queen Elizabeth II, her daughter, further expanding the monarch's collection of historic jewels.

Will the Queen be buried in clothes? ›

Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, has told Metro: 'Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings.

What happened to the queens body after she died? ›

As the Queen had died in Scotland, Operation Unicorn was the first part of Operation London Bridge to take effect. Her body was taken to Edinburgh, where ceremonies were held, then to London for the state funeral.

Where are Queen Elizabeth's clothes stored? ›

Have you ever wondered where Queen Elizabeth keeps all of her meticulously matched skirt suits? (Same.) As it turns out, she doesn't keep them in a regular old closet in her bedroom like us normal folks. Her clothes are actually stored on their own floor of Buckingham Palace.

Does the Queen ever wear the same outfit twice? ›

Unlike Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth rarely wears the same outfit twice.

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