Brilliant British Royal Sparkle at COP26 in Scotland

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay (the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall) were joined by the Earl and Countess of Strathearn (the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum for a reception to mark the opening day of COP26. The evening’s events also included a second reception at the Clydeside Distillery, honoring the key members of the Sustainable Markets Initiative and the Winners and Finalists of the first Earthshot Prize Awards.

The Queen was unable to attend, having taken her doctors’ advice to continue to rest for a few weeks. But she sent along a poignant video message, emphasizing the role of the leaders of today in shaping the world for the children of tomorrow. The Queen said that she was especially happy to deliver the evening’s welcome message, “as the impact of the environment on human progress was a subject close to the heart of my dear late husband, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.” She added, “It is a source of great pride to me that the leading role my husband played in encouraging people to protect our fragile planet, lives on through the work of our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William. I could not be more proud of them.”

Sitting beside a gorgeous photograph of the late Duke of Edinburgh in the midst of hundreds of butterflies, she wore the Onslow Butterfly Brooch. The diamond and ruby jewel was one of her wedding gifts, presented to her in 1947 by the Dowager Countess of Onslow.

For the occasion, the Duchess of Rothesay wore a teal dress by one of her favorite designers, Bruce Oldfield. The jacket features colorful buttons recycled from another outfit.

Camilla wore a crystal poppy brooch from Buckley London pinned to her jacket. Her other accessories included a pair of earrings with pavé-set diamond pendants, plus a blue and gold bracelet from the Magic Alhambra line by Van Cleef & Arpels. (She has a lovely and apparently growing collection of Magic Alhambra pieces.)

The Countess of Strathearn arrived wearing a bright blue Eponine dress with midnight blue accessories.

She wore a favorite pair of earrings: the Blue Topaz and Diamond Drop Earrings from Kiki McDonough. Kate is a collector of Kiki McDonough jewelry, and she first wore these earrings for her solo trip to Luxembourg in 2017.

Kate also wore a Buckley London crystal poppy. This particular poppy is a special one: it honors the work of World War II codebreakers. Kate’s grandmother, Valerie Glassborow Middleton, was one of the codebreakers who worked at Bletchley Park during the war.

There were lots of toasts during the reception, but this one in particular—Kate offering up a tub of dead larvae, used as livestock feed, to her husband—was probably the most amusing. I think William’s face says it all!