History of Famous Jewels and Collections: Re: Heirlooms of the Crown

Oh yes, thank you PaulP. I take your point, as official gifts are considered Crown property and not Heirlooms of the Crown or private property.

However, the notion of housing some jewels under the Royal Collection still is misleading to some extent, for the RC is considered state owned but merely held in trust by the reigning monarch.

I have never seen any of the jewels discussed here being mentioned as being under the RC so it substantiates your point that the jewels mentioned here most likely is the private holdings of the Queen.

Regards,

Dave.

Previous Message

Dave, I am far from being an expert, but perhaps the name "Heirloom of the crown" could be misleading. AFAIK Queen Victoria left in her will personally owned jewels labelled "Heirlooms of the crown" to be used by future UK queens, but this is a private collection. It's possible they have a status similar to the Spanish royal family's joyas de pasar or "the jewels that are passed on". Ownership wasn't bequeathed to the Crown, and they remain private and not part of the state owned public collection.
Notice that Heirloom of the Crown pieces have repeatedly been worn abroad, but the state owned Coronation Regalia items cannot be taken outside the country.
That's how i have understood the situation and I welcome any corrections.