The Queen’s wedding bracelet featured sweet connection to Prince Philip’s family

The Queen’s wedding bracelet had a sweet connection to Prince Philip’s family and was a gift from the late Duke of Edinburgh to his bride for their big day. 

• The late Queen Elizabeth was given a magnificent diamond bracelet by Prince Philip as a wedding gift in 1947. 
• The diamonds in this special piece were once part of an equally significant wedding gift given to Prince Philip’s mother.  
• This royal news comes as it was revealed King Charles could be planning major changes for his first Sandringham Christmas as monarch. 

The Royal Family are no strangers to making a statement with their jewelry and plenty of their most iconic pieces, from the late Queen Elizabeth’s brooches to Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara, have a huge amount of history behind them. The Queen’s wedding day jewelry was no exception and November 20, 2022 marked what would’ve been her and the Duke of Edinburgh’s 75th wedding anniversary. On this date back in 1947 this iconic royal couple tied the knot and the Queen opted for her grandmother Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara for her big day. 

But it wasn’t the only piece of jewelry she wore aside from her engagement ring. Re-worn to honor her wedding anniversary and for several big occasions, the Queen’s wedding bracelet had a sweet hidden connection to Prince Philip’s family…

The Queen’s wedding bracelet - sometimes known as the Edinburgh wedding bracelet - might not have been regularly glimpsed in the final years of her reign but was one of her most sentimental pieces. Featuring brilliant-cut diamonds and set in platinum with a geometric-design, the bracelet was a wedding gift from Prince Philip to his new wife on their wedding day in 1947. 

Crafted by Philip Antrobus it was given to the then-Princess Elizabeth on her wedding day and featured diamonds from a family treasure. As reported by Express.co.uk, the diamonds in the Queen’s wedding bracelet were originally part of a tiara belonging to Princess Alice of Battenberg, Prince Philip’s mother.

Princess Alice reportedly received the tiara from Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra, whom the Queen was distantly related to, when she married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. It’s said that it was with her blessing that the diamonds were taken from the tiara and recrafted into gifts for her son’s wife. 

Several of the diamonds were also used to craft the Queen’s engagement ring and with plenty left over, the Queen’s wedding bracelet was made to match. The family history behind the diamonds used and their connection to Prince Philip’s family likely made the bracelet incredibly meaningful for Her Majesty. 

In tiara and bracelet form, the diamonds were connected to two weddings and the memories of both special days lived on in the Queen’s wedding bracelet. As a wedding gift it was perhaps also her first present from the Duke of Edinburgh as her husband, adding another layer of significance. Princess Alice herself was also a guest at the wedding and got to see her new daughter-in-law wearing her diamonds on this happy day. 

In the years that followed the Queen was seen wearing her wedding gift bracelet on several occasions, notably for her Diamond Jubilee portrait and to mark her Silver Wedding Anniversary. And although the Queen often loaned special pieces of jewelry to members of her family, only one is understood to have got to wear this bracelet.

Back in 2017, when Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the BAFTAs, the now-Princess of Wales was spotted wearing the Queen’s wedding bracelet on her right wrist.

She had also worn this iconic and rarely-seen piece of jewelry for a State Banquet in 2015. Although Kate has not been seen wearing this beautiful bracelet more recently, it's possible she might choose it again in the future as a sweet nod to the Queen and the family history behind it.