Yesterday, we discussed several of the Queen Mother’s brooches that are now worn by Queen Elizabeth II. Today, as we wrap up our series on the Queen Mother’s bejeweled legacy, we’ve got a closer look at several more of her brooches, all of which are now worn by the Duchess of Cornwall.
In April 2005, only days after her wedding, the Duchess of Cornwall wore this Scottish royal brooch for an engagement in Ballater. The brooch was commissioned by the Salmon and Trout Association in 1999 to mark the 100th birthday of their patron, the Queen Mother, in 2000. Appropriately, it is designed to resemble a hand-tied salmon fly. Above, Camilla wears the brooch at the Braemar Gathering in 2006.
The brooch, which features a diamond ribbon with a diamond quatrefoil element in the center of the bow, was one of the gifts given to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon when she married the Duke of York in 1923. She received the brooch from someone particularly close to her: one of her godmothers, Mary Venetia James. The Queen Mother wore it throughout her long life, and now it’s worn by the Duchess of Cornwall. Above, Camilla wears the brooch (and the Queen Mother’s three-stranded pearl necklace) for a memorial service for her father, Major Bruce Shand, in 2006.
The Queen Mother’s Modern Emerald Brooch
A longtime favorite jewel of the Queen Mother, this piece was possibly part of the Greville bequest, left to Elizabeth by Dame Margaret Greville in 1942. In the later years of her life, the emerald brooch became one of the Queen Mother’s most-worn jewels. The Duchess of Cornwall has worn the piece on a few occasions, including the official dedication ceremony for a new Armed Forces Memorial in Lichfield in 2007.
The Queen Mother’s Topaz Art Deco Brooch
This distinctive brooch, set with diamonds and dark brown topazes, was worn by the Queen Mother as early as the 1930s. The piece has an Art Deco style typical of the era. It’s been worn on a few occasions by the Duchess of Cornwall, including this outing at Trooping the Colour in June 2007. (She’s also worn a second topaz brooch that has been speculated to have come from the Queen Mum’s jewelry box.)
The Queen Mother’s Lily of the Valley Brooch
The brooch was made by Fabergé to resemble a delicate spray of lily of the valley. It was given to the Queen Mother by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during his official visit to Britain in April 1956. The brooch wasn’t worn very frequently (if at all) by the Queen Mother, but now that it’s a bit more distant from its origins, the jewel has become a favorite of the Duchess of Cornwall. Above, she wears the brooch during a royal tour of Canada in 2014.
The Queen Mother’s Rock Crystal Brooch
This gorgeous brooch is made of translucent rock crystal carved with scroll designs. The jewel features a diamond centerpiece and diamond edging with black enamel detailing. The Queen Mother began wearing the brooch in the 1920s, most often as a hat ornament. The Duchess of Cornwall has worn it on numerous occasions, including this outing at the Royal Academy of Dance in 2018.
The Queen Mother’s Diamond Thistle Brooch
The Queen Mother wore this classic diamond thistle brooch on numerous occasions, on both her jackets and her hats. Now, the Scottish brooch is worn by the Duchess of Cornwall, who debuted it in 2015. Above, she wears it for the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in October 2021.
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