There are many striking antique Royal and Noble Jewels up for Auction this month, but Boxes and Compacts given by British and Foreign Royalty and gifts given when she served as Lady-in-Waiting to Princess Margaret are going on Auction in the ‘Lady Glenconner: My Life in Objects‘ Sale at Bonhams in London next week!
Lady Glenconner: My Life in Objects | 18 November 2025
Bonhams is delighted to offer Lady Glenconner: My Life in Objects, a selection of highlights from the personal collection of Lady Glenconner. From being Maid of Honour at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and, later, Lady in Waiting to her childhood friend Princess Margaret, to hosting rockstars on her husband’s private island of Mustique, Lady Glenconner has lived an extraordinary life.
Through this carefully curated selection of lots her story of royalty, glamour, and a roller-coaster marriage is told. Lots include Old Master heirlooms, to a gold Cartier box gifted to Lady Glenconner by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and a ballgown worn to the legendary Peacock Ball on Mustique.
Of the sale, Lady Glenconner says: I have had such great pleasure living with these wonderful objects, each telling their own fascinating story and I am delighted that they will soon be going on to new homes, and their stories will enter a new chapter.
Cartier Box
Estimate: £4,000 – £6,000
A 9 carat gold Cartier box given by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of rectangular form with reeded decoration to the whole, engraved ‘A.T’ to the top, the hinged cover opening to reveal a void interior with mirror inset to the cover and containing a removable powder mesh, together with original red leather Cartier case.
Given to Lady Glenconner by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her wedding
In her autobiography, Lady Glenconner described how Holkham Hall’s ‘long gallery filled with wedding presents…[and] everybody from the surrounding area came to look at them’.
Silver and Gilt Compact Mirror
Estimate: £800 – £1,200
An Elizabeth II silver and gilt compact mirror given to Lady Glenconner by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother of square form with engine-turned decoration to the whole and a gilt foliate border, the hinged lid opening to reveal an inset mirror and a further hinged cover opening to an interior with powder mesh and pad, together with a blue leather case.
Given to Lady Glenconner by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother as a belated wedding present
Princess Margaret informed Lady Glenconner that the Queen Mother had realised she had never given her a wedding present and to expect something useful for her desk. Lady Glenconner was pleasantly surprised to receive this very useful and much used compact.
Swedish White Enamel and Silver Gilt Box
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500
A Swedish White Enamel and Silver Gilt Box of rectangular form, with all-over white enamel decorated with bellflowers surrounding an engraved Royal cypher of Queen Louise of Sweden, the hinged cover opening to reveal a void gilt interior, together with a blue leather W. A. Bolin case.
Given to Lady Elizabeth Yorke (1912–1985), later the Countess of Leicester, by Queen Louise of Sweden during a state visit accompanying HM Queen Elizabeth II to Sweden in 1956, thence by descent to her daughter;
The Collection of Lady Glenconner
George V Silver and Silver-Gilt Scots Guards Compact
Estimate: £500 – £800
A George V silver and silver-gilt Scots Guards compact belonging to Elizabeth, 5th Countess of Leicester of rectangular form with cut corners and engine-turned decoration to the whole, the hinged lid applied with the regimental badge of the Scots Guards and opening to reveal a silver and gilt compartmentalised interior, and the cover inset with a mirror, together with a photograph of The 5th Earl of Leicester
George IV Silver Gilt Box
Estimate: £500 – £800
A George IV silver gilt box of rectangular form with engine-turned and foliate decoration to the whole, the hinged cover opening to reveal a void interior.
Victorian Silver-Gilt Salts
Estimate: £500 – £800
A pair of Victorian silver-gilt salts given to Lady Glenconner by Princess Margaret, naturalistically modelled as shells and raised on three dolphin-shaped feet, with matching salt spoons, together with a handwritten note from Princess Margaret to Lord and Lady Glenconner:
To ANNE/and/COLIN with love/at Christmas/from Margaret
White Metal Shell And Dolphin Salt
Estimate: £100 – £150
A white metal shell and dolphin salt given to Lady Glenconner by Princess Margaret, the realistically modelled shell raised upon a tripartite base modelled as three dolphins.
Mother of Pearl and Gem-Set Dishes
Estimate: £300 – £500
A pair of mother of pearl, yellow metal and gem-set dishes given to Lady Glenconner by Imelda Marcos during a visit to the Philippines, of abstract design, set throughout with vari-cut gemstones including lapis lazuli, coral (Corallium rubrum), turquoise and cultured pearls, to a mother-of-pearl ground.
Lady Glenconner visited the Philippines during Princess Margaret’s Royal Tour in 1978. Princess Margaret fell ill during the tour and asked Lady Glenconner to proceed to the Philippines on her behalf to meet Ferdinand Marcos and the First Lady Madame Marcos.
‘Boulle’ Casket
Estimate: £500 – £800
A French second half 19th century red stained tortoiseshell, cut brass inlaid and gilt metal mounted ‘Boulle’ casket, circa 1870, the hinged lid enclosing a velvet lined void interior on female term cast feet.
The Collection of Henriette (Annie) de Rothschild (1844-1926), thence by descent to;
Lady Elizabeth Mary York, 5th Countess of Leicester, circa 1927, and thence to her daughter;
The Collection of Lady Glenconner
Lady Glenconner’s Wedding Dress
Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500
Lady Glenconner’s Wedding Dress of ivory silk chiffon with silver-thread edged lace top with scalloped neckline and long sleeves, boned internal corset with padded hips beneath full train skirt, green Hartnell London Paris fabric label in skirt.
Lady Anne Coke, the eldest daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester, married the Hon. Colin Tennant, son and heir of the 2nd Baron Glenconner, on 21 April 1956. The wedding took place at St Withburga’s Church in Holkham followed by a reception at her family seat at Holkham Hall. Guests included the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, with Antony Armstrong-Jones as wedding photographer.
Norman Hartnell was one of the most influential designers of his time, first winning royal patronage in 1935 before going on to design Queen Elizabeth II’s 1947 wedding dress and 1953 Coronation dress. It is at this coronation that Lady Glenconner first wore a Hartnell dress, as a Maid-of-Honour for the ceremony.
Of her wedding day, Lady Glenconner wrote: ‘On 21 April 1956 we got married in St Withburga’s Church on the Holkham estate. Once again, I stood on the marble stairs, just as I had done for my coming-out dance, but this time in my Norman Hartnell wedding dress, with the very handsome Coke diamond necklace, instead of my debutante dress made from a parachute, and I breathed it all in. This time I wasn’t rushing off to offer champagne to the workers, having not been asked to dance. This time I was the bride of Colin Tennant, the socialite of our generation, on the verge of being an independent married woman.’
Turquoise Silk Indian Gown worn by Lady Glenconner at the Peacock ball
Estimate: £500 – £800
A hand made turquoise silk Indian gown worn by Lady Glenconner at the Peacock ball, Carl Toms 1986, comprising a cropped silk top with bracelet sleeves and a long, full skirt heavily embroidered with gold thread.
The 1986 Peacock Ball was part of a series of lavish parties thrown by Lord Glenconner at his home on the island of Mustique on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The week’s revelries culminated in the Peacock Ball which saw Princess Margaret crown Lord Glenconner ‘the “King” of Mustique’.
Carl Toms, the British set and costume designer, was tasked with designing costumes for the ‘ladies of the court’ and, according to Lady Glenconner, Princess Margaret ‘loved’ her dress, saying that ‘she’d been waiting all her life to wear a dress that made her feel like a princess.’
Nicholas Courtney recalls that Lady Glenconner ‘was stunning in her peacock-blue dress, while [Lord Glenconner’s] attire was chryselephantine – that is gold on white – with a crown and jewellery worthy of the “King” of Mustique.’
Glenconner Tiara
Coke Diamond Necklace
Diamond Bow Brooch
Diamond Earrings
Leicester Tiara
Sotheby’s Noble & Private Collections | 5 December 2024
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Christie’s Magnificent Jewels | 12 November 2024
Sotheby’s Royal & Noble Jewels | 13 November 2024
Sotheby’s Important Jewels | 16 November 2024
Christie’s Jewels | 20 November 2024
Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Vladimir Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Belgian Sapphire Tiara
Burmese Ruby Tiara
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
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