Camilla's £212k engagement ring was owned by the late Queen Mother

2023-03-05

Mystery behind Queen Consort’s £212K engagement ring: Sparkler belonged to the Queen Mother but remains one of most enigmatic pieces in Camilla’s collection

Queen Consort Camilla’s engagement ring belonged to the late Queen Mother
King Charles gave Camilla the £212k art deco ring ahead of their 2005 wedding
READ MORE: Antiques Roadshow! Queen Consort will have two personal items valued by BBC show’s experts when she guest stars in a special episode

Queen Camilla Consort’s engagement ring was once part of the late Queen Mother’s jewellery collection – but the impressive sparkler’s heritage before the 1920s remains a mystery.

Little is known about the impressive £212,000 engagement ring, which King Charles gave to Camilla, 75, ahead of their wedding day in 2005.

The Queen Consort, formerly known as Camilla Parker-Bowles, was given the five-carat, emerald-cut diamond with baguette cut-diamonds on each side by the King, 74, after the couple announced they were to be married.

In a special episode of the Antiques Roadshow, airing tonight at 8pm, Camilla will have two other items in her antiques collection appraised, including a rare snuffbox from the Royal Collection made from Cornish silver and a copy of Elegy In A Country Churchyard by poet Thomas Gray.

There is little known about the art deco £212k engagement ring Charles gave Camilla , 75, ahead of their wedding in 2005

According to Google Trends, Queen Consort Camilla’s ring fetches in 800 searches every year.

The Queen Mother previously owned the historic sparkler and was seen wearing it a lot during the Eighties, but it was never her engagement ring. In fact, she received the jewellery when she gave birth to the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1926.

Speaking to express.co.uk, Daena Borrownman, Marketing Manager for jewellerybox said: ‘The Queen Consort possesses a magnificent collection of jewels worth millions.’

She explained: ‘The Queen Mother was pictured wearing the dazzling piece in 1980, but who owned the ring previously or where it was made is not known.’

Daena added that pearl jewellery is important for Camilla, who regularly wears pieces from Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother’s collections.

The Queen Consort is to have two personal items valued by Antiques Roadshow experts when she guest stars in a special episode of the BBC show on Sunday evening. Pictured, Camilla and host Fiona Bruce during filming

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are pictured here on their wedding day in 2005 at St George’s Chapel and Windsor Castle

The engagement ring belonged to the late Queen Mother (pictured), It was given to her as a gift when she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth II and was pictured wearing it a lot in the 1980s

King Charles used the £212,000 art deco ring from his grandmother’s collection to propose to Camilla, honouring both his mother and grandmother.

Estimated at £212,000 the ring is the second most expensive ring in the Royal Family, coming in behind the Princess of Wales sapphire and diamond engagement ring, which is worth £300,000.

It has been speculated that this is due to its historical legacy of being owned by the late Princess Diana.

Perhaps the most iconic royal engagement ring of all time, this is a stunning engagement ring with a 12-carat oval cut sapphire.

Not only is it one of the most expensive royal rings, steadily going up in value each year, but it likewise holds sentimental value for Prince William.

The wife of King Charles often wears jewellery that gives a nod the late Queen Mother , and this includes her engagement ring

Camilla’s engagement ring is a five-carat, emerald-cut diamond with baguette cut-diamonds on each side

King Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005 with the late Queen Elizabeth II outside St George’s Chapel in Windsor

The Queen Consort is to have two personal items valued by Antiques Roadshow experts when she guest stars in a special episode of the BBC show.

Filmed in Cornwall at the Eden Project last September, the programme – which will air on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One – will see Camilla meet the team and join host Fiona Bruce in a Guess The Mystery Object game.

For the occasion, Camilla brought along a rare snuffbox from the Royal Collection made from Cornish silver and a copy of Elegy In A Country Churchyard by poet Thomas Gray to be examined.

Silver specialist Duncan Campbell is thrilled with the snuffbox due to it being the first all-English silver he has seen in his career.

Meanwhile, books expert Justin Croft also admires Camilla’s copy of Gray’s work as she describes her love for the poem and her interest in the book’s special binding, which was done in 1899 by the Guild of Women Binders.

Later in the episode, the Queen Consort and Bruce attempt to guess the true purpose of three unusual items offered up by jewellery specialist Geoffrey Munn.

Among the items is a piece of rock crystal, a silver plaque decorated with a pair of eyes and two jewelled arrows.

Bruce, who has presented Antiques Roadshow since 2008, said: ‘The Queen Consort was just terrific fun. She put everyone at ease and was keen to take part in the programme and chat to everyone.

‘The members of the public that came along with their items that day got a bit more than they bargained for as they had no idea The Queen Consort was coming!

‘Her Majesty got stuck into our Antiques Roadshow games, though Guess The Mystery Object had us both stumped.’

The presenter also discussed with Camilla her close connection to the Eden Project and her support for The Big Lunch, a charity based at the Cornish site which encourages people to come together with their local community to share a meal.

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