Our birthday tribute to the Queen—a survey of 96 of her gorgeous royal brooches—continues this afternoon with 32 more jewels from her collection.
33. The Cambridge Pearl Pendant Brooch
The Duchess of Cambridge who first owned this brooch wasn’t Kate—it was Queen Mary’s grandmother, Princess Augusta. The classic nineteenth-century brooch was inherited by Mary from her mother, the Duchess of Teck, and in 1953, Mary bequeathed the brooch to the present Queen. It’s been one of her very favorite pieces throughout her reign, worn both with and without its distinctive pearl pendant. Here, she wears the brooch for her 50th birthday portrait, taken at Windsor in April 1976.
34. The Teck Emperor of Austria Brooch
This elegant diamond and pearl brooch, which can be worn with or without its chain and pendants, was a gift to the Duchess of Teck from Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, who served as godfather to her third son, Prince Francis. The Queen inherited the brooch from her grandmother (and the Duchess of Teck’s daughter), Queen Mary, in 1953. Notable appearances since have included the first photographs of the Earl of Wessex and state banquets in London and Berlin. Here, she wears the brooch with a yellow ensemble on Oaks Day at Epsom Downs in June 1962.
35. Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Gift Brooch
This antique brooch, made as part of a larger parure by Garrard in 1862, was one of King Edward VII’s wedding gifts to his wife, Queen Alexandra. She wore the brooch on her wedding day, and continued to wear it for the rest of her life. She bequeathed the brooch to Queen Mary, who in turn left it to the Queen in 1953. The Queen wears it now occasionally, especially for important occasions and evening events (like the annual Festival of Remembrance, pictured here in November 2015).
36. Queen Mary’s Russian Brooch
This diamond and sapphire brooch was Queen Mary’s wedding gift from her new husband’s aunt, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, in 1893. She bequeathed it to the present Queen in 1953, and HM has worn it fairly frequently in the decades since. She often pairs the brooch, with its distinctive sugarloaf sapphire, with outfits in vibrant shades of blue. Here, she wears the jewel for the Epsom Derby in June 2012.
37. Queen Mary’s Richmond Brooch
This diamond and pearl brooch was given to Queen Mary as a wedding present in 1893 by the town of Richmond, where she spent much of her childhood. The brooch, made by Hunt and Roskell, can be worn with or without a pearl pendant drop. The Queen inherited it in 1953, and she’s worn it occasionally in the decades since. She wore the brooch for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May 2018, and for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021.
38. Queen Mary’s Turquoise Brooch
This Victorian brooch was a wedding gift from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra to Queen Mary in 1893. The diamond and turquoise brooch was later inherited by the present Queen, though she only began wearing it frequently in recent years. She most famously wore it for a public broadcast to the nation in the spring of 2020. In the photograph above, she wears the brooch in Malta in November 2015.
39. Queen Mary’s Pink Sapphire Cluster Brooch
This petite cluster brooch features a vivid pink gemstone (often described as a pink sapphire) set in a beautiful diamond frame. The brooch originally belonged to the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary. In recent years, it has become one of the Queen’s favorite brooches, appearing at palace audiences, Royal Ascot, and even one outing on Christmas Day! She wears the brooch here for a Queen’s Trust visit to the Lister Community School in Plaistow in March 2016.
40. The Women of Hampshire Brooch
This diamond and pearl brooch, originally designed as a pendant, was a wedding gift to Queen Mary from the Women of Hampshire, a committee headed up by the Dowager Duchess of Wellington. Queen Mary bequeathed it to the present Queen in 1953, and it pops up occasionally on HM for daytime engagements. Here, the Queen wears the brooch at Buckingham Palace as she bids farewell to the King and Queen of the Netherlands at the end of their 2018 state visit.
This large ribbon brooch, which features a pear-shaped pearl pendant, was one of Queen Mary’s wedding presents. It was made by Collingwood in 1893 and given to her by the people of Kensington the same year. Mary wore the diamond, pearl, silver, and gold brooch at her coronation in 1911, and she bequeathed it to her granddaughter in 1953. The Queen has worn it often throughout her reign, frequently pinning it to her sash during gala events, including a banquet during the state visit to Estonia in October 2006 (pictured above).
42. Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Brooch
This imposing diamond bow brooch, which is shaped like a true lover’s knot, was acquired by Queen Mary from Garrard in 1932. She bequeathed it to the Queen in 1953, and since then, HM has worn it for a range of engagements, including formal daytime events and evening receptions and galas. It’s also appeared at two royal weddings, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011. Above, the Queen wears the brooch in Sierra Leone in 1961.
43. Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch
This classic cabochon sapphire and diamond cluster brooch, which has a distinctive pear-shaped pearl pendant drop, was owned by Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. She received it in 1866 as a wedding present from her sister and brother-in-law, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. Queen Mary purchased the brooch from the empress’s estate in 1929, and the Queen inherited it in 1953. She wears it occasionally, both with and without the pearl pendant. Here, the Queen wears the complete brooch on Derby Day at Epsom in 1964.
44. Queen Mary’s Diamond Thistle Brooch
The Queen’s collection of brooches inherited from Queen Mary also includes this large diamond thistle brooch. In June 2019, the Queen wore the brooch to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s Parliament.
45. The New Zealand Silver Fern Brooch
This lovely diamond and platinum brooch was presented to the Queen by Lady Allum, wife of the Mayor of Auckland, on behalf of the women of Auckland. She gave the brooch to the Queen at Government House on Christmas Day 1953, and above, the Queen wears it at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Auckland later the same day. The brooch is designed to resemble a frond of the silver tree fern, one of New Zealand’s national emblems. The Queen has worn it regularly for events related to New Zealand, even loaning it to the Duchess of Cambridge for her tour of the country in 2014.
46. The Australian Wattle Brooch
This eye-catching brooch, set with white and yellow diamonds, is designed to resemble the national flower of Australia, the wattle. Made by an Australian firm, it was given to the Queen during her grand Commonwealth tour in 1954. She’s worn it regularly ever since, both at Aussie/Commonwealth events and more generally. Here, she wears the brooch for an official welcoming ceremony in front of the Sydney Opera House in March 2000.
This elegant brooch was described by Leslie Field as “an unusual long narrow diamond triangle with two pearls and a canary yellow diamond set in the middle.” The Queen has had the brooch in her jewelry box since at least the 1950s. She’s worn it frequently for a variety of occasions and with a rainbow of colors during her reign, but the most famous appearance of the brooch will probably always be her walkabout outside St. James’s Palace on the day before the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. Here, she wears the jewel at Balmoral in November 1979 for a wedding anniversary portrait.
48. The Brazilian Aquamarine Brooch
The Queen’s magnificent parure of Brazilian aquamarines includes this vibrant blue aquamarine brooch, which she received in 1958. The Queen usually wears it separately from the rest of the suite, as she did at Royal Ascot in 2012 (pictured above), and for a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey to mark the 60th anniversary of her coronation in June 2013.
49. The Modern Ruby and Diamond Spray Brooch
This modern jewel, which features a gold setting with diamonds and a slender row of rubies, has been in the Queen’s collection since at least the 1960s. She’s worn it for multiple state visits and Commonwealth tours, and she even chose it for her Diamond Jubilee walkabout in Windsor in 2012. Here, she wears the brooch in November 1972.
Made for the Queen by Garrard in the early 1970s, this brooch is a stylized flower made of gold and studded with 31 diamonds. The Queen began wearing it in 1975, and it quickly became a major favorite. She’s worn it for all sorts of occasions, in all seasons, even Christmas broadcasts and Easter Sunday services. Here, she wears it in a photograph taken in the early ’70s.
51. The Ruby Sweet William Brooch
This youthful, pretty brooch features a ruby- and diamond-studded Sweet William flower (set in yellow gold) with a diamond ribbon and stem. The brooch reportedly dates to the 1960s. Above, the Queen wears the brooch on day four of the Cheltenham Festival in March 2009.
52. The Diamond Wild Rose Brooch
This classic gold and diamond floral brooch has been in the Queen’s jewelry box since at least the 1960s. It features a single wild rose in a surround of leaves, and it’s been worn for garden parties, Commonwealth visits, and even a Christmas broadcast. Above, the Queen wears the brooch as she tours the new site of the Royal University of Malta in November 1967.
One of the most modern and recognizable brooches in the Queen’s collection, this jewel was acquired for her by the late Duke of Edinburgh from Andrew Grima in 1966. The unique brooch features a carved ruby in its center, designed to resemble an Egyptian scarab. Since the Duke’s death, she’s often worn the brooch on occasions that pay tribute to his memory. Here, she wears it for a military visit to Innsworth in November 2015.
54. The Coral and Onyx Paisley Brooch
In the 1970s, the Queen received this unique modern paisley brooch made of diamonds, coral, and onyx. So far, she’s only worn it on one occasion in public: a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 2019.
We don’t know when or where this classic piece was made, but we do know that its design is timeless. The piece features a trefoil of diamonds studded with pearls, with a large pearl cluster at its center. It’s one of the Queen’s favorites, worn regularly for a wide range of occasions over the past four decades, including holidays, royal tours, and Christmas broadcasts. She wears the brooch here in Blois in June 1992 during a visit to France.
56. The Amethyst Floral Brooches
This set includes two coordinating brooches featuring amethysts and diamonds in a floral setting made of yellow gold. One of the brooches features a pair of larger pear-shaped amethysts at the top, while the other has one pear-shaped amethyst and one round amethyst at the top of the piece. The Queen has been wearing them regularly since at least the 1990s. Here, she wears one of the pair for a visit to Nine Springs Park in Yeovil in May 2012.
This classic diamond star brooch was, according to Leslie Field, bequeathed to the Queen by Lady Jardine in 1981. It ranks among her very favorite brooches, worn for a wide range of occasions, including holiday church services, Christmas Broadcasts, and even her Diamond Jubilee water pageant in 2012. In the photograph above, the Queen wears the brooch as she names Cunard’s new cruise-liner Queen Elizabeth II in Southampton Docks in October 2010.
This colorful floral brooch was a gift to the Queen from the Mayor of Colombo during her 1981 state visit to Sri Lanka. It’s set with pink, blue, and yellow sapphires, as well as garnets, rubies and aquamarines. The Queen often wears it for occasions related to both Sri Lanka and the larger Commonwealth of Nations, including her 2007 state visit to Uganda. Above, she wears the brooch in May 2007 for a visit to the Jamestown site in Virginia.
This unusual Cartier brooch features a pair of coral rosettes, each studded with a diamond in the center of the blossom, accompanied by a pair of pave-set diamond leaves in white gold. Each rosette was carved from a single piece of red coral. The jewel was a gift from the Order of the Liberation in 1990, and the Queen has appropriately often worn it for occasions related to France. Here, she wears the brooch on the Champs Elysees in Paris in April 2004.
60. The Diamond and Pearl Leaf Brooch
On her birthday in April 1999 (pictured above), the Queen wore this diamond and pearl leaf brooch for a concert in Seoul, part of a visit to South Korea. The brooch features a trio of pearls placed in the center of a pave-set leaf. The piece appears to be made at least partly of yellow gold. Today, the jewel is worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.
61. The Aquamarine and Diamond Laurel Brooch
This petite bauble is an interesting one: a rectangular aquamarine surrounded by two delicate diamond laurel branches. The Queen rarely wears it, though she’s had it in her collection since at least the 1980s. She notably wore the brooch for a Diamond Jubilee Trust reception at Buckingham Palace in October 2013. Here, she wears the jewel in December 2015 as she boards a train for her annual Christmas journey to the Sandringham estate.
62. The Amethyst Thistle Brooch
The Queen also owns this lovely diamond and emerald thistle brooch, which features a carved amethyst in its design. Above, the Queen wears it for a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in July 2013. Many have speculated that one of the Queen’s thistle brooches might be part of a quartet of brooches featuring national symbols, given to the Queen by the Sultan of Oman as a Diamond Jubilee present in 2012.
63. The Diamond Art Deco Clip Brooch
This classic diamond clip brooch appears to be a vintage jewel, perhaps dating to the 1930s or 1940s, but the Queen’s only been wearing it in public since 2015. Since then, it’s made several significant outings, including a trip to Northern Ireland, and is often worn for palace audiences. Here, she wears the brooch during a visit to Bracknell in October 2018.
64. The Cartier Diamond Rose Clip Brooch
The Queen debuted this petite diamond rose brooch on Day Two of Royal Ascot in June 2016 (pictured above). Royal reporters on the day identified it as a diamond flower clip made by Cartier.
Stay tuned for the final 32 brooches in our roundup tomorrow morning!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.