Not all soulmates are made equal
One of the most significant pieces in the Royal Collection is the Imperial State Crown. Held among the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and symbolizing the sovereignty of the monarch, the current crown was made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI. It's adorned with some of the most historic jewels in the collection, including the Cullinan II diamond—cut from the Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found—and the Black Prince's Ruby.
One of the late Queen's lesser-worn brooches, the magnificent Cullinan III and IV Brooch is made from the third and fourth largest stones cut from the famous Cullinan Diamond, discovered in 1905 at a South African mine and presented to King Edward VII as a gift.
The Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was made for the coronation of her husband, George VI, in 1937. It's the only crown made from platinum and contains 2,800 diamonds, including the celebrated Koh-i-Noor, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats.
Originally made for King George IV in 1920, the diadem is worn by modern-day queens and consorts in processions to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. This is the crown Queen Elizabeth II is pictured wearing on British and Commonwealth postage stamps.
The fabulous Mosaic Fabergé egg is a jeweled enameled Easter egg made by Russian jeweler and goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé in 1914. It's one of three held in the Royal Collection and made with diamonds, rubies, topaz, sapphires, garnets, pearls, and emeralds. It contains a 'surprise' medallion inside, painted with the portraits of the five children of Nicholas II of Russia and his wife, Alexandra. The egg is displayed in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
This exquisite Victorian glass chandelier was created by the famed Viennese Lobmeyr glass company in 1855. It illuminates the Audience Room at Osborne House, Queen Victoria's former royal residence on the Isle of Wight.
Queen Elizabeth II is seen standing near another prize artifact in the Royal Collection, the Eardley Norton astronomical clock. The valuable timepiece displays the time at 30 locations across the globe relative to Greenwich Mean Time, a year calendar, an orrery of the Solar System, ages and phases of the moon, and high and low water at 32 geographical seaports. The clock dates back to 1765 and was purchased by George III.
The Royal Collection includes 7,000 paintings, many of them priceless. 'Cimabue's Madonna Carried in Procession,' by Frederick Lord Leighton and painted from 1853-55 is in fact displayed in the National Gallery, on long-term loan from the Royal Collection Trust. It was once owned by Queen Victoria.
This work by the Italian Baroque master Caravaggio was displayed for many years at Hampton Court Palace. It was purchased by Charles I in 1637, who thought he'd secured a copy of a lost original. However, in 2006, after a comprehensive restoration, the painting was declared to be authentic.
The Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle is dominated by a painting of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington (center) by Sir Thomas Lawrence, who was commissioned by George IV to paint the leaders responsible for the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 and 1815. The duke is flanked by a portrait of Russian General Matvei Platov, who fought in the Napoleonic wars, and Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Wellington's ally at the Battle of Waterloo.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 'The Massacre of the Innocents,' painted in 1566, was later acquired by Charles II. It is representative of the over 50 Flemish paintings from the 15th to 17th centuries displayed in the King's Dressing Room at Windsor Castle.
This self-portrait of the neglected 17th-century Italian artist Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione is thought to have been purchased from the British Consul in Venice by George III in 1762. Castiglione is best known now for his etchings, and as the inventor of the printmaking technique of monotyping. This self-portrait and other works constitute the finest surviving set of Castiglione drawings found anywhere.
Dutch painter Rembrandt features widely throughout the Royal Collection. His portrait 'Agatha Bas' is considered by the Trust to be one of the most beautiful in the collection.
This 1841 painting by Sir Edwin Landseer of Prince Albert's pet greyhound Eos is one of several paintings and sculptures in the Royal Collection to feature the faithful hound.
'Lady at the Virginal with a Gentleman, 'The Music Lesson'' entered the Royal Collection in 1762 as a work by Johannes Vermeer. It's one of the best-known paintings in the collection.
Pop Art is not usually associated with the British monarch, but in 2012 four 1985 silkscreen prints by Andy Warhol, the 'Reigning Queens,' were purchased for the Royal Collection. The prints were later displayed in the Lower Library at Windsor Castle.
The Royal Philatelic Collection is reckoned to be worth a staggering US$129 million (£100m). Not surprising, really, when you realize this extremely rare two penny Blue Mauritian stamp from 1847 alone is valued at $2.59 million (£2m).
Peter Paul Rubens' 'Pythagoras advocating vegetarianism,' completed around 1620, as seen in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
An avid art collector himself, Charles I is depicted here in a triple portrait by Anthony Van Dyck. It was created as a design for sculpture to assist in the making of a marble bust. It's on display at Buckingham Palace.
A Cartier diamond and platinum necklace worn by Princess Elizabeth when she married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey in 1947.
Chests, cabinets, and drawers number among the Royal Collection's portfolio of rare and antique furniture. Here, Trust employees pose with a bureau cabinet, circa 1700-50, crafted from japanned and gilded wood.
The Queen Mary diamond bandeau was worn by Meghan Markle on her wedding to Prince Harry. It was made in 1932 and was once owned by Harry's great-great grandmother, Queen Mary.
A member of staff looks at a catalogue about a new exhibition of drawings from the Royal Collection that took place in 2005 at the Queen's Gallery Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The eye of exhibition curator Anna Reynolds is pictured with a gold, champlevé enamel, Burmese ruby, and diamond pendant that contains a miniature of Queen Elizabeth I.
Curator Emily Hannam takes a closer look at the Loyal Address, written with metallic paints and gold leaf by Kuvi Raj Murar in 1877 for the formal announcement of Queen Victoria's title of Empress of India.
Sources: (History) (The Court Jeweller) (Wilkinson) (Art and the Bible) (Google Arts & Culture) (Arthive) (The Sun)
Some 600 Leonardo da Vinci drawings are held by the Royal Collection, including this one, 'The Sforza Monument.' In the mid-1480s, Ludovico Sforza, the ruler of Milan, commissioned da Vinci to make a huge equestrian monument in bronze. This is his preparatory sketch. The drawings are believed to have been acquired by Charles II.
Late Queen Elizabeth II stands in the 18th Century Room at Buckingham Palace in front of a 1771 portrait by Johann Zoffany of George III, who was king for 59 years.
The Royal Collection of the British Royal Family is the largest private art collection in the world. Housed variously in occupied and historic royal residences across the United Kingdom, this vast treasure trove is owned by King Charles and overseen by the Royal Collection Trust. It numbers the priceless Crown Jewels, rare Old Masters, and unique Fabergé eggs among many other rare and extraordinary artifacts.
Click through and be dazzled by the treasures of the Royal Collection.
Royal treasures: Discover the largest private art collection in the world
A look at the priceless artifacts in the Royal Collection
LIFESTYLE Royal family
The Royal Collection of the British Royal Family is the largest private art collection in the world. Housed variously in occupied and historic royal residences across the United Kingdom, this vast treasure trove is owned by King Charles and overseen by the Royal Collection Trust. It numbers the priceless Crown Jewels, rare Old Masters, and unique Fabergé eggs among many other rare and extraordinary artifacts.
Click through and be dazzled by the treasures of the Royal Collection.