At the end of this week, fresh off the State Opening of Parliament, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and several other members of the royal family headed to France for a state visit. The visit was planned to coincide with the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of D-Day on Friday, and much of the program was related to events related to the anniversary and to honoring veterans of World War II. Today, I’ve got a look at some of the royal jewels we saw in Normandy during the D-Day commemorations.
Friday was a somber day of remembrance of the members of the Allied forces who sacrificed their lives during the D-Day invasion in 1944. But even more than that, it was a celebration of the tenacity and the bravery of those who fought on the Normandy beaches. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the British War Cemetery in Bayeux on Friday to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the fight.
At the cemetery, the Queen participated in a wreath-laying ceremony.
The Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a gem-set brooch in the shape of the cap badge of the Lancers, also spoke with veterans at the cemetery. Camilla’s father, Major Bruce Shand, served as an officer with the 12th Lancers during the war. He was captured while on duty in Egypt and taken to Germany as a prisoner of war, but he survived and returned to England after he was liberated.
The memorial tributes continued on Sword Beach, where world leaders gathered to remember the sacrifices of those who served.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, who both served their country during the war, were both in attendance for the ceremony at Sword Beach.
It seems only appropriate that the Queen wore one of her most glittering brooches for the services honoring the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Remember, the Queen is nothing if not the daughter of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who famously insisted on wearing lovely clothes to visit those who had suffered during the bombings of World War II, saying, “If the poor people had come to see me, they would have put on their best clothes.” By showing up looking her best, she was honoring them the way they would have honored her.
It’s especially fitting, then, that the Queen wore a brooch that was one of her mother’s favorites to honor the men and women (including herself and her husband) who served in her father’s armed forces during the war. This is the diamond fringe brooch made for Queen Victoria using diamonds given to her by the sultan of Turkey. It was one of the Queen Mother’s best-loved pieces; significantly, the Queen Mum wore the brooch at Prince Charles’s wedding in 1981. This is only the second time the Queen has worn the Turkish brooch in public since inheriting it in 2002, and the only time so far that she has ever worn it for a daytime event.
There were other royal ladies in attendance at the Sword Beach ceremony as well. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore earrings from her collection of turquoise jewelry for the occasion. She also wore a golden anchor brooch, topped with a crown. This brooch is in the shape of the symbol of the Søværnet, the Royal Danish Navy.
Queen Mathilde, wife of the King of the Belgians, and Queen Maxima, wife of the King of the Netherlands, were also present on Sword Beach for the commemoration ceremony. Mathilde wore classic diamond and pearl button earrings, while Maxima reached for a pair of diamond floral earrings from her collection and tennis bracelets set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.
The day also featured a luncheon hosted by President Hollande for the world leaders in attendance at the Chateau de Benouville. Those in attendance posed for a group photograph afterward. Royals pictured here, alongside Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Margrethe II, are King Harald V of Norway, King Philippe of the Belgians, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and Prince Albert II of Monaco.
The Queen wore the same jewels for the luncheon that she had worn for the other events of the day, though she moved Queen Victoria’s Diamond Fringe Brooch from her coat to her dress for the lunch.
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