Queen Camilla likes a brooch, having been seen in multiple elaborate pieces since she joined the Royal Family 20 years ago and even more so since her husband became King.
At a recent Sunday service at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral, King Charles III and Queen Camilla attended with the Queen appropriately wearing a coat with tartan accents.
Also pinned to the coat was a brooch more than a century old. First worn by Camilla a year ago, this brooch, made in 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and is in the Art Nouveau style.
The brooch is made of gold and fitted with pearls and is simply the year 1902 written out in script. While it is not known how many were made for the historic coronation, it is a matter of record that they were given out to various family members in various styles.
How Queen Camilla came to possess her piece is also unknown. One theory has it that the brooch originally belonged to Camilla’s great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, who was the mistress of King Edward VII for over a decade until his death in 1910. It could also be the case that a brooch simply passed through the Royal Family and came to Camilla following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Sunday service also saw an appearance by Catherine, Princess of Wales, who wore far less opulent jewellery. The future Queen was seen wearing a pair of Ralph Lauren earrings, continuing the Princess’ trend of mixing affordable jewellery with historic pieces from the Royal collection. She has also been a longtime fan of Ralph Lauren, wearing both their clothes and jewellery, including during a recent high profile appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
As well as brooches, Camilla has proven to be a firm fan of tiaras during Royal engagements.
Undoubtedly her favourite piece is the Greville Tiara made by Boucheron more than a century ago for socialite, Margaret Greville. The tiara was subsequently passed to the Queen Mother in the 1940’s, where it became one of her favourites, before being inherited by Queen Elizabeth II upon her death, but the long-reigning monarch never publicly wore it. Instead, the tiara was loaned to Camilla, who was first spotted wearing it in 2006. In the 20 years since, it has been a firm fixture on her head at typical Royal events like state banquets and diplomatic receptions with foreign dignitaries.
Since becoming Queen, Camilla has worn a greater variety of tiaras, some of which previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth II. One such tiara is the Belgian Sapphire Tiara, originally commissioned as a necklace by King Leopold II for his daughter Louise. After she endured some financial issues, the tiara was put up for auction with the surprise winning bidder being none other than the Queen of England. She subsequently had the necklace repurposed as a tiara and it was a favourite of hers during her reign. Camilla made her debut in the tiara last year to welcome the French government to the UK.
Like this? Queen Camilla wears the Asprey Maple Leaf Brooch in Canada
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