Coronet given by Albert to his bride could be lost to nation
A CORONET worn by Queen Victoria and designed by her husband Albert could end up abroad unless a UK buyer can be found for the multi-million pound piece of jewellery.
The item has been sold to a buyer who wants to export the item but the Government has imposed a temporary bar in an attempt to find a person or institution to meet the £5 million asking price, plus £1 million in VAT, to keep the sapphire and diamond coronet in the UK.
The coronet is considered one of the most important jewels of Queen Victoria’s long reign and was designed for her by Prince Albert in 1840, the year of their wedding. The jewels matched the sapphire and diamond brooch that Albert had given to Victoria on the day before their wedding.
The coronet was finally made by goldsmith Joseph Kitching in 1842 at a cost of £415, using stones which came from jewellery given to Victoria by her uncle and predecessor William IV and his queen Adelaide.
Victoria is depicted wearing the coronet in a famous portrait painted that year by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
The coronet, which has 11 sapphires, was given by George V and Queen Mary to Princess Mary on her marriage to Viscount Lascelles in 1922 and was later sold to a dealer in London, who subsequently sold it to the overseas buyer who has applied for an export licence.
The decision to defer the export licence to Dec 27 – with the possibility of an extension until June 27 – follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest.
Matt Hancock, the culture minister who imposed the temporary ban, said: “Queen Victoria’s coronet is stunning. It is one of the most iconic jewels from a pivotal period in our history and symbolises one of our nation’s most famous love stories.”