Gifts of Grandeur: Collar of the Order of the Garter, 1837

Collar of the Order of the Garter
1837
Made for Queen Victoria
Rundell, Bridge & Rundell
Gold and Enamel
The Royal Collection

When Queen Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, she became Sovereign of each of the six British orders of chivalry: the Orders of the Garter, Thistle, St Patrick, Bath, and St Michael and St George. A new Queen required new insignia, and therefore this collar was produced in a scale that matched Victoria’s diminutive size and stature as well as the styles of necklines of the time.


The size of the collar also allows the Queen to wear more than one at a time. The collar was commissioned from Rundell, Bridge & Co who made it to be worn from the upper arms rather than over the shoulders.