Princess Anne’s Modern Pearl Earrings

The Princess Royal celebrates her birthday today, and in her honor, we’re spending our morning with pieces from her jewelry box that have stood the test of time: her modern pearl, gold, and diamond earrings.

Anne’s been wearing the earrings for virtually her entire adult life. That’s not particularly surprising — Anne is a woman who invests in things she likes and keeps them — but it’s notable that the earrings have managed to remain visually current and interesting for their entire tenure in her jewelry box.

Here’s a closer look at the earrings, which are essentially a deconstructed cluster stud earring. Instead of circling the central pearl in a neat halo, the gold and diamonds of the setting are stretched and scattered. The shape of each earring is particularly interesting — sometimes I think I can see a leaf shape in the design.

The earrings were made by Andrew Grima, who was one of the family’s favorite jewelers in the 1960s and 1970s. They also have detachable pendant sections, which Anne wore occasionally in her younger years but almost never wears today.

The earrings accompanied Anne on an early royal tour. She was only 19 when she wore them in Australia with her mother. Here, she pairs them with a floral brooch for a day at the races in Sydney.

In 1971, Anne paired the earrings with another gold, pearl, and diamond jewel, her floral brooch, as she christened a ship alongside her great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten.

The earrings have remained in Anne’s frequent jewelry rotation throughout her life, and they’ve made appearances at some very important personal events. She chose them for her engagement portraits ahead of her wedding to Captain Mark Phillips in November 1973.

In 1992, she wore them for her wedding to Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at Crathie Kirk near the Balmoral estate in Scotland.

In 2011, she chose them for the wedding of her daughter, the accomplished equestrienne Zara Phillips, to rugby player Mike Tindall in Edinburgh.

The earrings also made a notable appearance at the royal wedding of the Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

And they haven’t just shown up for weddings: in 2016, Anne wore the earrings for the official national celebrations of her mother’s 90th birthday.

But even though they’ve been worn often for personal events, Anne has also chosen them for official engagements. And they also often pop up at one of Anne’s favorite events of the year: Royal Ascot! Here, in 2003, Anne wears them again with her gold, pearl, and diamond floral brooch.

The same combination was chosen for Ladies’ Day six years later — you can just see the floral brooch peeking up over the top of the carriage during the procession.

In 2017, Anne wore the earrings with a vibrant green ensemble, a lovely pairing for the gold.

And here, Anne wears the earrings with her magnificent stalactite brooch for a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2011.