Royal Purple at the Royal British Legion for the Queen

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Ahead of this weekend’s Remembrance Sunday observances, Queen Elizabeth II headed to Aylesford on Wednesday for an event linked to the Royal British Legion.

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The Queen visited the Royal British Legion Industries village in Aylesford. The village provides housing, care, and support to hundreds of British veterans, as well as serving as a local community center. The Royal British Legion is a charity that supports British veterans financially, socially, and emotionally.

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At the village, the Queen met with residents, staff, and volunteers.

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She even met one veteran, Violet Clarke, who (like the Queen) served in the Auxilary Territorial Service. The ATS was the women’s branch of the British army during World War II. The Queen trained as a driver and mechanic with the ATS in 1945.

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HM also used a special shovel to help bury a time capsule in honor of her visit. The capsule is intended to be open by village residents 100 years from now, in 2119.

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For the visit, the Queen wore a vibrant violet ensemble, including a matching coat, dress, and hat.

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She also reached for one of the most important purple jewels in her collection: a diamond and amethyst brooch from the Kent Amethyst Suite. The set of jewels originally belonged to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent.

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We got an excellent close-up of the brooch during Wednesday’s visit. The color of the amethyst shone brightly in the sunshine. Note the tiny loops on the brooch where pendants can be attached.

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The visit was the first of a range of royal events that we’ll see this week to observe Remembrance Sunday. Today, the Duchesses of Cornwall and Sussex will visit Westminster Abbey, and this weekend, we’ll see nearly all the senior royals attend the Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.