The Queen had an enormous net worth before her passing, which included a personal collection of jewelry, tiaras, and crowns worth a small fortune.
And while there hasn’t been any official announcement from the Palace regarding the division of these assets following her passing, Page Six reports that her entire collection of royal jewels will be passed onto King Charles.
“We don’t know every detail about the ownership of all of the royal jewels, and it’s likely that we won’t be privy to much detailed information about their inheritance now,” The Court Jeweller‘s Lauren Kiehna says.
“Royal wills are sealed, so we can’t look to those documents for guidance. I think it’s very likely that the Queen has followed in the footsteps of her grandmother, Queen Mary, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and bequeathed all of her jewelry directly to the new monarch, King Charles III.
“There are both historical and taxation-related benefits to this method of inheritance.”
It should be noted that many significant pieces from the royals’ jewelry collection were stolen from countries they colonized–including the Kohinoor diamond, which is prominently featured in one of the royals’ most famous crowns.
Per TIME, the diamond goes back to the 16th century, and was “acquired” by the British when Maharaja Duleep Singh was forced to surrender everything in his possession (including land).
The diamond was given to Queen Victoria, and then ended up on the Queen Mother’s crown (which she wore to Elizabeth’s coronation).
“Kohinoor” began trending on Twitter in India as users demanded that the royals return it.
It remains to be seen it repatriation of stolen items will be on King Charles’ agenda in the coming months.
From: Cosmopolitan US