Pearls and Diamonds for a Pair of Duchesses at Trooping the Colour

The Duchess of Edinburgh (who some of you are still probably calling “the Countess of Wessex” in your heads) rode in a carriage from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade this morning with her brother-in-law, Sir Timothy Laurence. Both of their spouses (the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal) rode on horseback during the parade.

Sophie wore a tailored white dress from Beulah London for today’s festivities. We’ve seen her wear the dress multiple times in recent weeks.

The dress, which has distinctive button detailing on the skirt and sleeves, made its debut at the pre-coronation reception for overseas guests at Buckingham Palace on May 5.

For that reception, and for today’s parade, Sophie accessorized the dress with a pair of antique diamond and pearl drop earrings, plus a modern diamond necklace.

The necklace is made up of two separate pieces: a silver and diamond station-style chain, plus a yellow gold and diamond pendant. The pendant, which has a double scroll motif, comes from Collins & Sons. (You can see a close-up here.)

Sophie also wore the same earring/necklace combination for a garden party at Buckingham Palace a few days before the coronation.

For Trooping the Colour, she finished off the look with gold bracelets on both wrists.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also appeared on the balcony for the fly-past, joined by the Duke of Kent. Birgitte wore an ivory and brown printed dress with a coordinating hat for the occasion.

She wore the same outfit and hat, with different jewelry, for a garden party at the palace on May 9.

This time around, she accessorized with a single-stranded pearl necklace and pearl drop earrings. It’s a little tough to see, but she’s also pinned her round diamond and rock crystal brooches on the placket of her dress, sort of like extra jeweled buttons.

As has become normal in recent months, only a small group of royals (the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent) were present on the main Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour. But the extended royal family still attended the celebrations, and one canny photographer captured a glimpse of some of them watching the fly-past from an interior balcony inside the Buckingham Palace courtyard.

They’re all members of the extended Kent family: Timothy and Flora Vesterberg (granddaughter of Princess Alexandra and her husband), the Earl of St. Andrews and Lord Nicholas Windsor (sons of the Duke of Kent), and Lady Gabriella and Thomas Kingston (daughter of Prince Michael of Kent and her husband). Wish we could still see their jewels on the bigger stage, but it’s nice to see them regardless.