The Platinum Jubilee began with a blaze of color and sound this morning, as the Irish Guards led the annual Trooping the Colour presentation in London—and delivered a special salute to the Queen.
Though her mobility issues mean that participating in Trooping the Colour in the usual way wasn’t possible this year, the Queen made her way to London to take part in the festivities from Buckingham Palace. After the main presentation had completed at Horse Guards Parade, the troops marched back to the palace for a special salute to the Queen and her cousin, the Duke of Kent.
I’d been hoping to see the Queen wearing the Guards Brooch once more this year for Trooping the Colour, and I got my wish! She wore the gem-studded brooch, which features the badges of all five of the Foot Guards of the Household Regiments: the Coldstream Guards, the Grenadier Guards, the Irish Guards, the Scots Guards, and the Welsh Guards. Many, including me, think it’s the same brooch originally made for Queen Alexandra and later worn by Queen Mary.
During the Trooping the Colour presentation at Horse Guards Parade, the Queen was represented by the Prince of Wales, who was accompanied by the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal.
Three carriages carried members of the royal family from the palace to the parade ground for the presentation. In the first carriage, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge rode with three little royals making their first carriage appearance during the event: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The Duchess of Cornwall wore some of her favorite diamond and pearl pieces for the occasion: her diamond floral earrings with round pearl drops, plus her four-stranded pearl necklace with the round diamond clasp. Two more necklaces peeked out from beneath the pearls. She wore her Kiki McDonough Apollo Necklace, plus a second necklace with a gold disc pendant.
The Duchess of Cambridge gleamed in sapphires and diamonds for the event, including a very special pair of earrings, worn for the first time in public.
The earrings, featuring two sapphire and diamond clusters joined by a small diamond brilliant, come from the collection of Kate’s late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. For several years people have speculated that these earrings were dismantled to create another sapphire pair worn by Kate. I’ve always believed they were two separate pairs of earrings, and I feel particularly vindicated today! Ha!
With Diana’s earrings, Kate wore a necklace with a sapphire and diamond pendant.
Here’s a closer view of the necklace from this year’s Commonwealth Day service. The necklace also features a double cluster design, and it matches the other pair of sapphire and diamond cluster earrings in Kate’s jewelry box.
Here’s a glimpse of the Cambridge kids riding in the carriage procession for the first time, all nicely coordinated in blue. All three were on top form, waving to the crowds and bowing their heads when they passed the colour itself at Horse Guards Parade.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex rode in the second carriage with their children, Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
Sophie wore diamond earrings, plus the pearl pendant necklace we’ve seen her wear a lot recently. She also repeated a pair of bracelets that she’s been spotted in quite often in recent months.
Lady Louise was ultra elegant for the festivities this year. She wore a pair of earrings with pink gemstone pendants, which we previously saw her wear at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last month. She also added a necklace with pendant charms to her outfit.
The third and final carriage featured the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester with Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence (not seen here).
Birgitte wore spectacular jewelry pieces for the event. She wore pearl drop earrings and a pearl choker necklace with a pearl and diamond cluster clasp. She also pinned two pairs of antique clip brooches to her ensemble: her rock crystal circle brooches on her hat and Princess Alice’s diamond clips on her collar. (The diamond clips come from one of the Gloucester bandeau tiaras.)
At Horse Guards Parade, we got a glimpse of Princess Beatrice, wearing a crystal-studded headband, watching the presentation with some of the royal kids.
— British Royal Children (@royalcousins_) June 2, 2022
We also glimpsed the Duchess of Sussex at Horse Guards Parade, but I’ve not yet been able to get a good look at the jewelry she wore for the occasion.
After the parade’s end, the working members of the royal family gathered on the balcony with the Queen to watch a remarkable 70 aircraft taking part in an RAF flypast. At the center of the balcony, the Queen stood with the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
Here’s the full balcony group. From left to right: the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, the Queen, Prince Louis of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, the Duke of Cambridge, the Countess of Wessex, Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Windsor, and the Earl of Wessex.
The flypast balcony appearance gave us a glimpse of Princess Alexandra’s jewels as well. She wore her pearl choker necklace with the geometric clasp, emerald and diamond earrings, and her emerald butterfly brooch.
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