A royal expert has predicted that Queen Elizabeth II will be buried with one very special piece of jewelry.
Lines of mourners will pack London’s Westminster Hall on Wednesday to honour the late monarch after she died aged 96.
Her coffin as she lies in state will be decorated with royal objects said to be worth millions of pounds.
But Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, believes the Queen’s body will be buried with far less priceless possessions.
‘Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings,’ she told Metro.co.uk.
Mrs Levinson says the Queen’s engagement ring, which belonged to Prince Philip’s mother Princess Alice of Battenberg, will likely be given to Princess Anne.
‘The young Prince Philip was closely involved in the design of Elizabeth’s engagement ring, which is set in platinum and has eleven natural diamonds – a three-carat round solitaire diamond, and five smaller stones set on each side,’ she said.
‘Her Majesty’s life has always been about the legacy of the royal family, in the UK and Commonwealth; her jewels form very much part of that legacy.’
The Queen’s private jewellery collection is composed of 300 items including 98 brooches, 46 necklaces, 34 pairs of earrings, 15 rings, 14 watches, and five pendants.
She will lie in state for four days in Westminster Hall from Wednesday until her state funeral on Monday.
Draped on her coffin will be the Royal Standard, a flag that represents the Sovereign and the UK.
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The flag will be in the company of the Imperial State Crown, encrusted with more than 3,000 gemstones and said to weigh five pounds.
The crown was only worn by the Queen on formal occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament.
Though relatively new by the centuries-old standards of the rest of the Crown Jewels, the crown contains historic gems – some controversial.
Among them is a cut of the Cullinan Diamond known as the Second Great Star of Africa.
The 317-carat gem was mined in Cullinan, South Africa, in 1905 during the height of Britain’s colonial rule.
The diamond was later renamed by British colonials to Cullinan II, named after Premier Mine chairman Thomas Cullinan, and mounted to the crown in 1937.
Other precious stones on the crown include St Edward’s Sapphire, the oldest gemstone in the collection.
In total, the crown is set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and four rubies.
The Sovereign’s orb and sceptre will also be spread on the coffin.
The orb is a symbol of the divine right of rulers made of hollow gold and rammed with more than 600 precious stones, including 30 rubies and a dozen diamonds.
The sceptre contains the largest gem from the Cullinan diamond – the Great Star of Africa.
Renamed Cullinan I, the 530-carat diamond was presented to Edward VII and now sits in 1907 atop the 92cm gold rod.
The Queen will be buried within the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Winsor Castle, joining King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
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