The extremely rare insignia of the Royal Victorian Chain bestowed upon Abbas Hilmi II, the last Khedive of Egypt and Sudan

The Royal Victorian Chain, 1st type (1902-21) Gentleman’s Collar with pendant Badge, the silver-gilt Collar, overall length approximately 59cm, consisting of three Tudor roses, two thistles, two shamrocks and two lotus flowers, representing the heraldic flowers of England, Scotland, Ireland and India respectively, linked together with a double trace of oval link chain to the central royal cypher of Edward VII, enamelled in red, within a wreath, surmounted by the Imperial Crown, enamelled in its proper colours, the reverse officially numbered ‘24’, with integral pendant Badge, 56mm, silver-gilt and enamels, contained in a purpose-made fitted case, extremely fine and one of the very rarest pieces of British insignia
£10000-15000

From the sale of ‘Orders bestowed upon the last three Khedives of Egypt’, Christie, Manson & Woods Ltd, 30 April 1991 (Lot 139), when it was stated that this chain is ‘among those listed in the Central Chancery as not returnable on the death of the recipient’.

H.H. Khedive Abbas Hilmi II of Egypt, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O. (1874-1944), was appointed to the Royal Victorian Chain by King Edward VII at Windsor Castle on 15 June 1905. Upon his being deposed by the British in 1914 for plotting against British rule, he was deemed to have ceased to hold the honour, one of eleven such ‘removals’ from the order on grounds of enemy nationality.

The Royal Victorian Chain, quite separate form the Royal Victorian Order which has its own very different collar chain, was introduced by King Edward VII in 1902 as a special mark of the Sovereign’s favour on Royalty and other especially distinguished personages, both British and foreign. In its entire history there have been fewer than 120 recipients of this rare honour, most recently bestowed in 2007 upon Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. From 1921, in order to more easily distinguish the pendant badge from that of a C.V.O., the cypher and Crown in the centre of the badge have been picked out in rose diamonds. Being in most cases strictly returnable to the Central Chancery upon death, the insignia of the Royal Victorian Chain is excessively rare on the market, this being one of only two examples believed to be available to collectors.