Queen Elizabeth's Wedding Gift From Her Father Reportedly Cost More Than $6 Million

The monarch altered the extremely expensive present, which reportedly dates back to 1850.

Queen Elizabeth wears the $6 million George VI sapphire necklace and matching earrings she received from her father for her wedding
(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Queen Elizabeth II was known for many things, including her precious collection of jewelry and tiaras. As Nov. 20, 2025 marks the 78th anniversary of Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip, royal experts are reflecting on one of the late Queen's most expensive wedding gifts.

Since her death in 2022, several members of the Royal Family appear to have inherited the Queen's jewelry collection. For instance, Queen Camilla wore one of Elizabeth's rarest aquamarine tiaras to a special reception at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 19. But according to Maxwell Stone, jewelry expert and creative director of Steven Stone, one of Queen Elizabeth's jewelry sets is likely in high demand, due to its origin and value.

Stone is referring to Queen Elizabeth's George VI Sapphires, a set consisting of a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a matching bracelet, which were gifts from her father upon her wedding. The Court Jeweller reported, "We don't know precisely where he sourced the pieces, but we do know that they were made during the reign of his great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. The jewelry writer Leslie Field dates the necklace and earrings to 1850."

Queen Elizabeth wears a white dress and her sapphire earrings and necklace

Queen Elizabeth wearing the George VI Sapphires.

(Image credit:  Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Discussing the enviable set, Stone explained, "The incredible sapphire and diamond cluster line necklace originally featured 18 sapphires, sat on a gradient, ranging from 8 to 30 carats, before it was redesigned in 1952." The jewelry expert noted that the late Queen's necklace featured "huge sapphires," which were "surrounded by a halo of diamonds, and linked together by additional single stone diamonds."

When Elizabeth had the necklace altered, she added a large pendant to the front, and the late Queen was regularly pictured wearing the eye-catching piece of jewelry.

Analyzing the jaw-dropping earrings, Stone said, "The sapphires look to be around 15 carats." Although the matching bracelet has rarely been seen, the entire collection is reportedly extremely valuable. "All together, the King George VI Victorian Suite is likely to be worth £5,000,000 [approximately $6.3 million]," Stone explained.

Queen Elizabeth wears a shimmery red dress with white gloves, a tiara, and the George VII Sapphires

Queen Elizabeth wearing the sapphire bracelet.

(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Alongside her extensive jewelry collection and range of tiaras, Queen Elizabeth was known for her famous brooches, many of which had special hidden meanings.

Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.