On Tuesday, the British royals headed to Westminster Abbey for an important centenary celebration—and brought along some gorgeous royal brooches.
Wearing a bright cobalt blue coat and hat, the Queen arrived at the Abbey on Tuesday to attend a service of thanksgiving to mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion.
She was joined by her daughter, the Princess Royal, for the centenary service. Anne wore an ensemble in a rich shade of purple for the occasion.
The Queen also added a new accessory to her outfit: a walking stick. Buckingham Palace confirmed to royal reporters that she decided to use the cane “for comfort.”
Inside the Abbey, the Queen and Princess Anne participated in the service, honoring 100 years of work by the Royal British Legion. The organization provides multiple means of support to members of the British Armed Forces, as well as veterans and family members. One of their best known initiatives is the annual Poppy Appeal, a fundraising drive that takes place each year ahead of Remembrance Sunday in November. The charity received its royal charter in 1925, four years after it was founded, and the royal family have been very involved with promoting and supporting the organization in the decades since. The Queen is the current patron of the charity, and Princess Anne is President of the Women’s Section of the RBL.
For the service, the Queen wore her customary pearl earrings and necklace. She also added a gorgeous brooch with major royal history: Queen Mary’s Russian Brooch.
The geometric scroll brooch, which is set with a sugarloaf sapphire and a large diamond, was Queen Mary’s wedding gift from Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia (a sister of Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom). The dowager empress was the mother of the last Russian tsar.
Here’s a closer look at the brooch from today’s service of thanksgiving. The Queen inherited the brooch from Queen Mary in 1953, and she’s worn it regularly throughout her entire reign.
Princess Anne also wore classic pearls for the service, plus a pair of pins. The larger silver brooch, with a modern abstract design, is set with amethysts. The smaller pin is, appropriately, a Royal British Legion badge.
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