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Lot #232. King George VI | Princess Margaret Gifted Diamond Watch Pendant
13007 S. Western Avenue, Gardena, California 90249
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February 6, 2026
An antique guilloche enamel, diamond, and seed pearl watch pendant necklace linking three Royal generations. This pendant watch bearing King George V’s royal cipher was gifted by his son, King George VI, to his granddaughter, Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret was the younger sister and only sibling of Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch. Princess Margaret’s grandfather King George V was succeeded by her uncle King Edward VIII who abdicated in 1936 in order to marry the American socialite Mrs Simpson. This led Margaret’s father to become King George VI in 1936.
The watch is a mechanical movement, with a white circular dial, black Arabic numerals, and blued steel hands, within a pale blue engine-turned guilloche enamel case with painted pink and green flowers. It is enhanced by a rose-cut diamond monogram and an applied gold crown motif. The watch is suspended by a fine link necklace with guilloche enamel bar links, spaced by seed pearl accents, mounted in platinum and gold.
The jewelry case is covered with navy leather and stamped with gold leaf (gold-tone foil) with a coronet and King George V's royal cipher. The case interior is lined with cream velvet and white silk to cushion the necklace. Stamped on the interior lid of the jewelry case reads, "Garrard & Co. LTD./ Goldsmiths Jewelry & c./ TO THE KING/ By Special Appointment/ TO THE CROWN./ 24, Albemarie ST., W."
Garrad was founded in 1735 and has crafted the British Royal Family's most documented jewels, from Princess Diana's sapphire engagement ring to the Windsor family's lotus flower tiara worn by the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and the current Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
Princess Margaret was the royal style icon of the 1950s with her fashions being dubbed, "The Margaret Look." Princess Margaret wore some of the most fashionable clothing of the decade, including a Christian Dior ball gown for her 21st birthday, which was recently featured at the V&A during Dior's largest U.K. exhibition, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams. A royal rebel, Margaret never shied away from asserting herself. Her relationship with Peter Townsend captured the hearts of a nation and inspired Hollywood writer and director William Wyler's Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Princess Margaret, like the princess-character Hepburn played in the film, did not get her fairytale happy ending with Private Townsend; however, Princess Margaret went on to serve the crown with distinction throughout her life.
The lot comes with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), a Certificate of Provenance from Christie's, signed by Edward Doleman, Chief Executive Officer of Christie's International, and Viscount Linley, featuring a United Kingdom Coat of Arms wax seal.
Dimensions: Necklace 20.5 Inches Pendent 1.38 Inches
Category: Princess Margaret, Fine Jewelry
Provenance: Lot #134 "Jewelry And Faberge, From The Collection Of H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowden," Christie's London [Sale 7335], June 13, 2006
An art deco graduated cushion-shaped red stones (one ruby third link up from bar end of clasp) and diamond bracelet belonging to Marion Thorpe, Countess of Harewood.
Of flexible openwork design, composed of a series of slightly graduated cushion-shaped red stones, to the old mine and old European-cut diamond borders and geometric style links, mounted in platinum, 6 3/4 inches, 41.43 grams, circa 1925, in a fitted Shapland London Jewels and Antiques case. Please note that only one red stone is tested as ruby; the others are simulated.
The art deco bracelet comes directly from the estate of Marion Thorpe, maiden name Stein, who was a concert pianist who married George Lascelles, the 7th Earl of Harewood, in 1949, becoming the Countess of Harewood. Queen Elizabeth II was Earl Harewood’s first cousin and attended their wedding. Queen Elizabeth II and the Countess became close friends during her marriage to the Earl of Harewood. The couple divorced in 1967, and Marion remarried politician Jeremy Thorpe. Marion’s son, David Lascelles, is the current 8th Earl of Harewood.
Category: Royal Memorabilia, Fine Jewelry
Provenance: From The Estate of Marion Thorpe, Countess of Harewood 1949-1967
A decorative tin containing a slice of the wedding cake from the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey in London, England on April 29, 2011, with their combined cipher on the lid in gold.
Together with an accompanying card that in part reads: "With best wishes from TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in celebration of the wedding of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge." Original mailing box included.
Dimensions: Tin, 4.25 x 5.5 x 2.25 inches
Category: Prince William, Princess of Wales, Windsors
Provenance: Lot 278, "Historical Documents Featuring the Major David Cecil Underwood Jr Collection of Royal Visits to India 1876-1906," Spink & Son (#24025), July 26, 2024
A pair of crewel embroidered wingback chairs from King George VI's 1939 Canadian tour, where he was accompanied by his wife, Queen Elizabeth, and his daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The wingback chair was designed and fabricated by Wade Upholstery, Long Easton.
Two wingback beige wool upholstered chairs with embroidered crown, symbolizing the monarch, "GR" on the backs of the chairs, and floral embroidery on the cushions and embroidered trim throughout.
This was King George VI's first royal tour, which was also strategic, as Europe prepared for war with the Third Reich. The royals were sent to reaffirm Canada and the United States as allies and supporters with the global war on the horizon.
Category: Royal Ephemera, Royal Memorabilia
A patterned brocade tabard style Hubert de Givenchy evening gown belonging to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, circa 1967. The garment has a Givenchy ready-to-wear label with a scribed couture serial number underneath.
The evening gown features a vibrant sunset colorway with horizontal pink, yellow, and orange stripes, a crew neckline, and accents of gold beaded buttons that start at the left shoulder and run down the left side of the evening gown from the underarm to the knee, leaving a side slit to continue to the asymmetric hemline. The brocade appears to be hand dyed with pink and orange horizontal patterned stripes; line marks are seen where the dye was hand applied to the fabric. The interior of the gown is lined with a canary yellow sheer silk organza. A Givency label is sewn on the interior right seam with a bolduc serial label underneath.
The Duchess of Windsor favored Givenchy's designs, Suzy Menkes for Vogue France, recounts Givenchy's conversation between the duke and the duchess, writing, "'Givenchy, you know, I really like what you do for the Duchess.’ [the Duke] But just as I [Givenchy] replied, ‘Thank you, it’s very kind of you to tell me that, it’s very encouraging,’ he suddenly asked me, ‘Why is the price so high?’ Enter the Duchess, with a new bouffant hair-do by her hairdresser, Alexandre, trying to smooth things over: 'Do you think the price is so high for all the joy and pleasure I give you with all the lovely dresses Hubert has designed for me?'"
The lot comes with the original auction hang tag from the sale "The Duke & Duchess of Windsor.
Dimensions: Bust: 38 inches
Waist: 38 inches
Hips: 40 inches
Length: 53.5 inches (measured at center back)
Category: Duchess of Windsor, Fashion
Provenance: Partial Lot #2399, "The Duke and Duchess of Windsor," Sotheby's [Sale 7000], September 11-19, 1997.
