On Tuesday, Queen Camilla hosted a special, meaningful reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—and several prominent royals and diplomatic representatives were on hand to join her.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is the launch of a new United Nations campaign, UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls, a 16-day initiative that concludes on the International Day of Human Rights. The UN website notes that the campaign “aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world, calling for global action to increase awareness, promote advocacy and create opportunities for discussion on challenges and solutions.”
For the reception, Queen Camilla was joined by a remarkable group of women. Some of the most familiar are the ones who posed for this photo. From left to right: the Countess of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Queen Camilla, Queen Rania of Jordan, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, First Lady Fatima Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, and First Lady Olena Zelenska of Ukraine.
During the reception, Queen Camilla delivered a speech. She noted, “We are uniting today to confront, rightly, what has been called a global pandemic of violence against women. Faced with such challenges, it can be hard to know what practical steps we can take to even begin to make a difference.” Advocacy for women suffering from violence and abuse has long been one of Camilla’s most important causes. On the royal family’s official Twitter account after the reception, she shared a statement: “Today, a remarkable group of people gathered at Buckingham Palace with one aim – to see the end of violence against women and girls. I was deeply moved and inspired by their stories. With determination and courage, we will see the end of these heinous crimes forever – Camilla R.”
Camilla kept her jewels simple for the reception, keeping the focus as much as possible on the issue at hand. But she did wear some pieces with sentimental symbolism.
Along with her pearl drop earrings, her usual stack of bracelets, and her engagement and wedding rings, Camilla wore a small brooch pinned at the neckline of her jacket.
The petite jewel appears to be made of enamel and diamonds, with a delicate design: interlocking hearts pierced by an arrow. I don’t believe we have any provenance information about the jewel, but to me, it resembles the work of Fabergé. I’m almost certain we’ve seen Camilla wear this previously, but I’m drawing a blank on the occasion—please let me know below if you can remember!
The other royal ladies present also kept their jewelry minimal for the reception.
Queen Rania wore a pair of square-shaped earrings that coordinated with the geometric lines of her dress.
Queen Mathilde wore her beautiful diamond drop earrings with her white dress.
Crown Princess Mary wore diamond hoop earrings and a pair of delicate necklaces. One featured the initial F, for Frederik, in diamonds.
And Sophie Wessex chose a necklace with an engraved gold disc pendant and coordinating earrings.
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