Queen's brooch collection 'worth £90m' - including one rarely worn piece worth £50m

The Queen's brooch collection is worth at least £90m according to diamond experts.

The Queen, 95, has access to an extensive collection of jewellery, with many of the items passed down to her through generations of the Royal Family.

Other pieces have been gifts over the years, and she often chooses her brooches carefully, as they are interpreted to be sharing a particular message.

Now jewellers have estimated that her collection could be worth some £90m if it were to be sold.

Unsurprisingly the highest valuation is for the Cullinan III and IV brooch, at £50m.

The brooch is made from the largest diamond ever found, the Cullinan diamond, which was presented to Edward VII in 1907.

Read more: Sarah Ferguson hints at recent chats with the Queen as she opens up about Prince Philip

Two of the largest diamonds cut from the Cullinan are in the Scepter and the Imperial State Crown, which are part of the crown jewels and the Royal Collection Trust and not the personal property of the Queen.

The brooch however was inherited by the Queen in 1953.

Diamond expert Max Stone of Seven Stone said: “Queen Elizabeth has some of the most incredible jewels I've ever seen. Whilst it’s no doubt difficult to put a price on them, as they come with so much history and legacy, after analysing the gemstones from 25 of her most iconic brooches, I’d roughly estimate them to be collectively worth over £90,000,000.”

"The biggest and most expensive of all Queen Elizabeth's brooches is the Cullinan III and IV brooch. This is because it features two large stones cut from the Cullinan diamond - the world's largest diamond ever found. This one brooch alone is worth around £50,000,000."

Her second most valuable brooch according to the jewellers is a wedding favourite, which she wore both to Prince Charles and Prince Edward's weddings, in 1981 and 1999 respectively.

The Williamson diamond brooch was estimated to be worth £25m, because it includes a rare pink diamond.

The Queen was given the diamond as a wedding gift, when she was still Princess Elizabeth. It was cut and sits in a platinum brooch alongside another 203 white diamonds.

After those two hugely valuable pieces, the experts think the next most expensive piece would be the Prince Albert brooch, which is worth £8m.

It's named after Prince Albert, who commissioned it in secret for Queen Victoria in 1840, before their wedding. She loved it and wore it often.

Stone, said: "The ring contains a large oval or cushion shaped sapphire, which is at least 40cts. The breath-taking gem is also surrounded by 12 large diamonds, which look to be around 12cts.”

"Due to the clarity and intense colour of the sapphire it was possibly sourced from Burma. If it was to be sold today, it would be worth around £8,000,000, thanks to its historic legacy."

It's got lasting influence too, as it's claimed the Ceylon sapphire surrounded by diamonds is what inspired Diana's engagement ring, which now belongs to the Duchess of Cambridge.

Many of the Queen's other brooches are much lower in estimated value, though lots of them still hold important meaning to the monarch.

For example the Aquamarine clip brooches are valued at £160,000 but were a gift to the Queen for her 18th birthday from King George V and then Queen Elizabeth, who became the Queen Mother.

The clips are still a regular feature in the Queen's wardrobe, and she has worn them on a number of occasions in the last year, including in a broadcast for the anniversary of VE day and during the state opening of parliament in 2021.

While some of the pieces the Queen can wear are her personal possessions, not everything she is pictured in belongs directly to her.

For example the Queen Victoria bow brooches, estimated at £120,000, are held by the Royal Collection Trust so they don't belong directly to the current Queen.

Some of the brooches (both those in her own possession and the Royal Collection) are loaned out to other family members, like when the Duchess of Cambridge wore a fern brooch to New Zealand on a royal tour.

The pieces are likely to be distributed among the Queen's family members after her death, so many of them will be seen on her descendants for years to come.

Watch: The Queen says 'nah' to Rolf Harris as he paints her