ON A GEM OF A JOB AS SHE TRAVELS TO EAST ANGLIA THE QUEEN

UNITES HER LOVE OF HORSES AND BOOKS AND REVEALS HER GRANDDAUGHTERS' BIRTHDAY PRESENT WISH-LIST

- EMILY NASH

Her jewellery has been worn by the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Beatrice and Queen Letizia of Spain, among a host of famous faces that also includes supermodels and Hollywood stars.

But last week British designer Monica Vinader enjoyed a royal seal of approval when the Queen visited the jeweller’s Norfolk studios.

It may have been a rather damp summer’s day, but Her Majesty was in sunny spirits as she joined Monica on a tour of the company’s headquarters on the rural Holkham Estate and revealed that her visit had been the source of some envy.

EYES ON THE PRIZE

“My grandchildren – well, my granddaughters – are incredibly jealous of me being here today,” she said. “They follow you [on social media]. When they found out I was coming, they started dropping quite a lot of hints about things they would like for their birthdays.”

The Queen was introduced to staff, admired sustainable pearls and lab-made diamonds and watched as models took part in a photoshoot wearing Monica Vinader designs.