The Queen's Platinum Jubilee bow brooch has a fascinating history

The Queen stepped out onto the Buckingham Palace balcony for a second time yesterday, and she was wearing a very special family heirloom.

• The royal was wearing a green dress coat and also a special family bow brooch. 
• Her Majesty's family passed down the diamond brooch to her when she became Queen.
• In other royal news, Prince Louis 'warned' by Mike Tindall to behave at Platinum Pageant in hilarious royal box moment.

You may have been excited to see the Queen for the second time this Platinum Jubilee weekend, especially when she pulled out of the Jubilee thanksgiving service after 'discomfort' at Trooping the Colour, as she spent three minutes waving to fans on Sunday evening. 

However, royal fans spied that as well as wearing a bright green outfit the Queen was also sporting a family heirloom -  a brooch passed down to her by Queen Victoria.

Queen Elizabeth's brooches feature a vast and varied collection of stunning pieces and this one is no different, however, it is part of a collection of three bows that were made in 1858.

The diamond-encrusted bow was handed down to her by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria after they were specially made for her. Queen Victoria used to wear the collection of bows at the same time, but the Queen wears them separately - she even wore another from the collection at Princess Diana's funeral.

Jewellery expert, Maxwell Stone, from Steven Stone jewellers, said about the brooch, created by Garrard for Queen Victoria in the 1850’s, "there’s a lot of history to the Queen’s bow brooch. Part of a set of three, Queen Victoria commissioned the trio to be created using a selection of diamonds that she already owned - after her death, they were left to the royal collection, meaning that they’ll be passed down from monarch to monarch in the years to come."

"Given to the Queen on her coronation in 1952, the diamond bow brooches have a huge amount of sentimental value. The Queen also wore this particular brooch as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, so it’s incredibly fitting that she wore it during her final Platinum Jubilee appearance. Encrusted in 3 carats of diamonds, I’d estimate the brooch to be worth around £120,000.”

The four day bank holiday for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee was a star-studded event, with senior royals including Kate Middleton and Prince William appearing at numerous events up and down the country. Prince Charles and Camilla also dressed up for the occasion and made several appearances at the Thanksgiving ceremony and at the royal concerts. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined The Queen on the balcony last night as she paired the brooch with a Stewart Parvin green crepe wool dress and coat. She matched her dress with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan green hat and her trusty pearls.

During the weekend celebrations, Prince Charles gave a moving speech about the Queen, calling her 'mummy', while Prince William made a quip about the Queen's age, but also went on to talk about how proud he is of his father and grandfather.