10 Years of The Royal Watcher

Today we are celebrating 10 Years of The Royal Watcher! From attending and covering Royal Weddings, Coronations and Jubilees to making historic discoveries on several extraordinary Royal and Noble Jewels, I cannot begin to express my gratitude and appreciation for all of you who have been with us on this extraordinary journey!

Today marks an incredible milestone—10 years of The Royal Watcher! From covering Royal Weddings, Coronations, and Jubilees to uncovering the histories of extraordinary Royal and Noble Jewels, this journey has been far beyond anything I could have imagined. I am deeply grateful to every one of you who has followed along, supported, and shared in these moments over the years. As I reflect on the past decade, I’m reminded that what began as a passion has grown into something truly special, filled with remarkable opportunities and unforgettable experiences. While I can’t promise the things will always remain the same, I am committed to ensuring that the spirit and legacy of The Royal Watcher continue to thrive. Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to the future, and to many more discoveries and celebrations ahead!

The past ten years of The Royal Watcher have been an extraordinary journey from just covering Royal Ceremonies to witnessing historic Royal Events and making exceptional discoveries which have changed the narrative of Royal History. As we revisit the highlights of the past 10 years, I would like to thank all of you for making The Royal Watcher such a success:

2016

I began the Royal Watcher to cover the late Queen’s 90th Birthday and King Carl Gustaf’s 70th Birthday as well as the Royal Tour of India and Bhutan, while my career as a jewellery historian began by publishing my research on the Rutland Tiara!

2018

In 2018, I did the first of hundreds of interviews after the Birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge.

Later that year, after covering the Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the Wedding of Princess Eugenie, I revealed the Duchess of Sussex was wearing Princess Diana’s Butterfly Earrings, which cemented my role as a jewellery historian.

2022

Unlike previous years, in 2022, I was not only covering royal events at home but also got the opportunity to visit and cover many royal events in person. In late May, I went to London for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations, beginning my visit by seeing the Duke of Cambridge at Colonel’s Review of Trooping the Colour before going to see the Sotheby’s Platinum Jubilee Exhibition: ‘Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras’.

Then I got to see and cover the Trooping the Colour Ceremony, the Platinum Jubilee Service at St Paul’s Cathedral, the Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, when I saw the late Queen on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace for the final time.

In September, I was back in London enroute to Denmark, when I had the coincidence to be visiting the Exhibition inside Buckingham Palace when the Queen died, a memory that will remain with me till the end of my life.

I had received media accreditation and was on the red carpet as the Royals arrived for Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Gala in Copenhagen, and after a Tour of Danish Castles the next day, I also saw the Royals arrive for Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Banquet.

Back in London, I saw the Coffin of Queen Elizabeth II adorned with the Imperial State Crown when being transported from Buckingham Palace to the Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall, ahead of the Funeral at Westminster Abbey, which gave me the opportunity to personally pay my respects to the late Queen before my return ahead of the Funeral.

2023

The highlight of my year in 2023 was my two audiences with Her Majesty the Queen of Malaysia at the Malaysian High Commission in London in May, which was such an unforgettable experience.

A few days earlier, we saw several members of the British Royal Family and numerous Foreign Royals in London on the eve of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

I also had a wonderful day with friends on the day of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, being a part of this historic occasion.

2024

My highlight of 2024, and possibly my entire career as The Royal Watcher, was the discovery that Queen Azizah of Pahang’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara was Queen Mary’s lost Cartier Diamond Lozenge Bandeau, which was made possible by the gracious hospitality of Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah, who invited me to the Palace in Pahang and continues to share information about her magnificent Vault.

In March, spectacular Royal and Noble Jewels from around the world were on display at the magnificent ‘Cartier: Islamic Inspiration and Modern Design’ Exhibit at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

In May, I was able to visit the Royal Palace of Amsterdam while on a 10-hour layover in Amsterdam, which was quite special.

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The Sultan of Pahang and Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah graciously invited me to attend the magnificent Wedding Celebrations of Prince Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah of Pahang, Tengku Arif Bendahara and Tengku Natasya Puteri Tengku Adnan, which was a most extraordinary experience.

Before Queen Azizah and I rediscovered Queen Mary’s lost Diamond Lozenge Bandeau, I had visited the Royal Exhibition at the Muzium Sultan Abu Bakar in Pekan.

2025

If attending a Royal Wedding and finding a ‘lost’ Royal Tiara were the highlights in 2024, 2025 was no less eventful and exciting, which has included attending the Accession of Luxembourg’s new Grand Duke to behind-the-scenes access at leading museums and jewellery houses, and exclusive previews of the most spectacular jewellery exhibitions!

This year’s adventures began with a trip to Paris and London in February, which included a view of the Paris: City of Pearls Exhibition, and exclusive visits to Maison Chaumet in Paris, as well as Mellerio and Boucheron.

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I also saw the French Crown Jewels at the Louvre inadvertently for the final time, and made a long anticipated visit to the Palace of Versailles.

Then I made a brief visit to London, where I saw Queen Mary’s Diamond Lozenge Bandeau again as well as the Anglesey Tiara.

In addition to three more brief visits to Paris in May and July, our team was invited to the preview of the ‘Edwardians: Age of Elegance’ Exhibition at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

We also got to take a special preview of Lady Astor’s Cartier Turquoise Tiara before it went on Auction at Bonhams in London in June.

I was in London for two weeks in July, which began with previews of the Dress Codes Exhibition at Kensington Palace and the Cartier Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum.

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A few days later, our team had the delight of being invited to Mansion House by the Lady Mayoress of the City of London to view her magnificent Pearl and Diamond Tiara.

Then, we got to tour the ‘Edwardians: Age of Elegance’ Exhibition at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace with my friend Tengku Ampuan (Queen) Azizah of Pahang and her Family.

Later that day, we got a private tour with Queen Azizah of the Cartier Exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum with senior curator Helen Molesworth.

Then, I was back in Paris for a day to view the Jewellery Designs Exhibition and the Worth Exhibition at the Petit Palais.

Weeks later, I was back in London on a brief visit on which we viewed the landmark Brooch Exhibition at Wartski in London before going to see the Marie Antoinette Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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Then, I went to Luxembourg to attend the Accession of Grand Duke Guillaume V upon the Abdication of Grand Duke Henri, which also included a tour of Luxembourg which was covered by the press.

Afterwards, I was in Germany for a few days, where I visited Residenzschloss Ludwigsburg, the ‘Swabian Versailles’, as well as the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart and Schloss Solitude.

Then, I was back in London for a final visit to the Cartier Exhibition and the Edwardians Exhibit, while also being invited to view the magnificent Airlie Tiara among the Jewels of the late Countess of Airlie on auction at Lyon & Turnbull.

On that same trip, I got to visit Elveden Hall, the seat of the Earl of Iveagh, as part of a Heritage X Tour, which was led by the current Lord Iveagh.

In December, we were invited to the preview of the magnificent ‘A. E. Köchert Jeweller to Emperor and Crown’ Exhibition at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő near Budapest.

Ahead of the opening, Köchert were very kind to invite me to their flagship store in Vienna, where I was able to view several magnificent Royal and Noble Jewels and some of the legendary Archives.

While in Vienna, I also visited Schloss Schönbrunn, the ‘Austrian Versailles’ which was the third ‘Versailles’ I saw this year including the original.

Then, I made a brief visit to London, where we saw Lady Glenconner’s Diamond Star Tiara among the Jewels of Lady Glenconner going on Auction at Bonhams in London.

I was also able to see the magnificent Jewels of Royal and Noble Provenance from Britain, Russia, Denmark and Germany loaned by the famed Albion Art Collection to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, which includes one of my own discoveries as well.

Before catching the Eurostar, I was able to see the Airlie Tiara again, which now belongs to Hancocks.

Finally, I was in Paris to attend the preview of the landmark Dynastic Jewels Exhibition in Paris and was fortunate enough to attend the opening reception as well.

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I also visited the One Hundred Years of Art Deco Exhibit at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and went on a final visit to the Louvre to end a long year of travel before getting on a transatlantic flight.

The highlights have not ended, and later this week, I have been invited to the preview of the Queen Elizabeth II Exhibition at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace, and in a few months, we will be in Melbourne for the opening of the new Cartier Exhibition, so there is a lot to look forward to!