What Happened To Anne Boleyn’s ‘B’ Necklace?
In episode three of the brand new Starz historical Tudor drama Becoming Elizabeth, a young Princess Elizabeth puts on the iconic B necklace that once belonged to her mother, Anne Boleyn. This heartwrenching moment of television has, of course, raised a very good question: what happened to Queen Anne Boleyn’s famous necklace?
Starz Becoming Elizabeth
No one really knows what Henry VIII’s second wife really looked like, yet we take most of our inspiration for this long-dead Queen from a 17th-century portrait that currently hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London. It is in this portrait, which is thought to be a copy of a former original, that we lay eyes on the now famous ‘B’ necklace. The necklace has since become synonymous with a woman who we constantly try to bring to life. Every single tv or film that features Anne makes sure to show her donning the jewellery at least once. The Other Boleyn Girl, Anne Of A Thousand Days to The Tudors - they all feature the necklace!
During the reign of King Henry the VIII it became commonplace that, when your wife annoys you and you either divorce or murder her, you then give away all her expensive jewellery to other women at court. After the beheading of Anne Boleyn on May 19th 1536, Henry sought to remove all mention of his ex-wife from the Royal court. Paintings were burnt and Anne’s heraldry was destroyed. However, why waste good jewellery! It is believed that Anne’s ‘B’ necklace, as well as an ‘A’ necklace and ‘AB’ brooch, were passed onto her infant daughter Elizabeth.
Anne Boleyn, National Portrait Gallery
Sadly, as with most long-lost items from history, we cannot say whether Elizabeth truly owned these items and whether she ever actually wore them. There is, however, one rather romantic rumour that surrounds the pearls from the ‘B’ necklace. It is believed by some, although there is no proof to back any of this up, that they make up part of the Imperial State Crown. It is said that the four pearls that dangle near the top of the important item of the Crown Jewels once belonged to Queen Elizabeth I and that, in turn, they were originally her mothers. While the rumour is simply a rumour and most likely fabricated, it would be truly beautiful if it was true!
So, what happened to Anne Boleyn's necklace? The truth is that we don’t know and we never will and that, most likely, its pearls are being used casually unbeknownst to their owner!
