Today, the British royal family gathered with royal relatives and guests from across the world to celebrate the life of the late Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey. We’re going to devote a pair of posts to the jewels worn at today’s thanksgiving service, starting with the jewels worn by the British royals for the event.
Nearly a year after his death, the royals were finally able to hold a large memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh. You’ll remember that they gathered for a small, poignant funeral at Windsor in 2021. This time, the life and legacy of the late Duke were able to be celebrated on a much grander scale. The date is also significant: it’s the anniversary of the Battle of Cape Matapan, during which Philip served with distinction for which he was mentioned in despatches.
An impressive gathering of royals attended today’s service, including all of the Queen and the Duke’s children, seven of their grandchildren, and several of their great-grandchildren.
After some worry about whether her ongoing mobility issues would keep the Queen from attending the service, most of us were relieved to see her arriving at the Abbey.
She wore a very appropriate brooch for the day: the Grima Ruby Brooch, a diamond, ruby, and gold jewel that was given to her by Philip.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall led the rest of the senior royals into the Abbey.
Camilla wore a meaningful jewel for the service: the gem-studded badge of The Rifles. She took over the role of Colonel-in-Chief from Prince Philip in 2020, and the handover was one of his final public appearances. Camilla wore the same badge for the Duke’s funeral last year.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the service. (Little Prince Louis, who is only four, understandably stayed home.)
With a polka-dotted dress, Kate wore the Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings, which come from the collection of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
Appropriately, her dress also featured military-style button detailing on one shoulder.
The Princess Royal attended the service with her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Anne wore pearls for the service, plus a stylized crown brooch.
Here’s a closer look at the brooch, which appears to have shield, sail, and flag details in its design.
Peter Phillips, the eldest grandchild of the Queen and the Duke, arrived with his daughters, Savannah and Isla.
Zara and Mike Tindall were accompanied by their eldest child, Mia. (You’ll also spot the Earl of St Andrews and Lady Amelia Windsor behind them.)
Zara wore small diamond hoop earrings for the service.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie arrived with their respective husbands, Eduardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank.
As usual, Beatrice didn’t wear any major jewelry.
And neither did Eugenie.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex arrived for the service with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
Sophie wore her modern diamond scroll earrings and her diamond rose brooch for the service, plus a diamond cross necklace.
Lady Louise wore heart-shaped diamond earrings and a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. She also wore her carriage driving brooch, the same jewel she wore for her grandfather’s funeral last year. (They shared a love for the sport.)
The family of the late Princess Margaret was also in attendance. The Earl of Snowdon arrived with his children, Viscount Linley and Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones.
Margarita wore several stacked bracelets and multiple earrings.
Daniel and Lady Sarah Chatto were present as well.
Sarah wore diamond sunburst earrings with pearls and her late mother’s diamond feather brooch for the service.
Daniel and Sarah’s sons, Samuel and Arthur Chatto, accompanied their parents.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester were present for the service at the Abbey.
Birgitte wore pearl and diamond earrings, plus a pearl necklace layered with another gold chain and charm.
A closer view reveals a royal cypher on the golden pendant. I believe this is one of Queen Mary’s royal monograms.
The Gloucesters were accompanied by their son, the Earl of Ulster, and their daughter and son-in-law, Lady Rose and George Gilman. You’ll see the three of them sitting here behind Jack Brooksbank, Lord Snowdon, and Lady Margarita.
A large contingent of the Kent family was present as well. They’re both cousins of the Queen through King George V and cousins of the late Duke through Princess Marina. The Duke of Kent arrived with his daughter-in-law, the Countess of St Andrews, who wore pearls.
Several other members of the Duke’s family were also present. Behind the Chattos, you’ll see Lord St Andrews, Lord Downpatrick, Lady St Andrews, Lady Amelia Windsor, Lady Helen Taylor, and Cassius Taylor. Behind them are Lord Nicholas Windsor, James and Julia Oglivy, and Flora Ogilvy and her husband, Timothy Vesterberg.
Beside Timothy Vesterberg was Zenouska Mowatt. Princess Alexandra didn’t attend with the rest of her family. Joe Little tells us that she’s currently overseas.
We caught a few glimpses of jewels from the extended Kent clan. Lady Helen wore golden earrings and a necklace with a disc pendant. She’s accompanied here by her second son, Cassius.
And here, she’s standing with her nephew, Lord Downpatrick, son of Lord and Lady St Andrews.
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were also in attendance.
Marie-Christine wore pearl and diamond cluster earrings and a necklace strung with pearls and smaller dark beads.
Lord and Lady Frederick Windsor were also there. Sophie wore pearl earrings.
So were Thomas and Lady Gabriella Kingston, who wore a pearl bracelet and earrings with disc pendants.
Stay tuned: in our next article, we’ll have additional coverage of the numerous royals who traveled from abroad to attend the service of thanksgiving.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.