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The royal family’s fondness for rubies begins with the Imperial State Crown. It is adorned with nearly 3,000 stones, but the standout is undoubtedly the Black Prince’s Ruby, which has been in the royal family since 1367 when it was acquired by Edward of Woodstock (known as the Black Prince). It is technically a spinel, but we’ll let it slide, since the differences between rubies and spinels weren’t known until the 18th century.
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Here is Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown at her coronation with the Sovereign’s Orb (also encrusted with rubies).
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Decades later, her son, King Charles, wore the crown at his coronation.
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This set—the Crown Ruby Necklace and Queen Victoria’s Ruby Brooch—was designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria, and was in the Queen Mother’s collection before she passed them on to Queen Elizabeth II.
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In 1973, the Queen ordered this Burmese ruby tiara from Garrard. The tiara is set with 96 rubies that were given to the Queen from Burma as a wedding present. Here, she’s wearing the tiara at a royal gala in 1977.
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Queen Camilla, too, has worn the Burmese Ruby Tiara (pictured here at a state banquet in June 2024).
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Diana wore red frequently, a trend that includes rubies. Here she is at the premiere of the 1981 James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only, decked out in scarlet.
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This yellow gold, ruby, and diamond Scarab Brooch was given to Queen Elizabeth by her husband, Prince Philip in 1966.
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Perhaps catching on to the Queen’s love of rubies, the Emir of Qatar sent her this diamond and cabochon ruby necklace in the 1980s.
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Princess Anne in matching diamond and ruby earrings and a necklace in 1997.
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This diamond and ruby necklace is from the jeweler Mouwad and is part of a set Kate received when she married William.
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Here is a look at the Mouwad diamond and ruby earrings that match the necklace above.
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Echoing the colors of the Polish flag, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a white Alexander McQueen suit with a ruby necklace, earrings, and ring.
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This Boucheron diamond and ruby necklace originally belonged to the Queen Mother; Queen Elizabeth II gave it to Kate.
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Camilla hasn’t disclosed where this diamond and ruby necklace came from (it is rumored to be a Saudi gift), but it is certainly spectacular.
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This swirling ruby and diamond brooch was likely one of the pieces from the Queen Mother’s collection.
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Princess Margaret wore this Cartier diamond and ruby flower brooch throughout her life.
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Diana revisited the red-on-red look in 1995 when she went to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Museum in Venice.
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For the Festival of Remembrance in 2019, Meghan wore ruby heart shaped drop earrings by designer Jessica McCormack to set off her poppy pin.
Olivia Hosken is the deputy managing editor of House Beautiful, where she oversees operations across the brand’s print and digital platforms. She also writes about design and architecture and was previously the style & interiors writer at Town & Country and the managing editor of Dwell.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
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