Today, Queen Camilla celebrates her 76th birthday. In her honor, we’ve got a look back at some of the most important jewelry moments from her first ten months as queen consort, including several major royal jewelry debuts!
Camilla became queen consort on September 8, 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II died and King Charles III ascended to the throne. Queen Camilla wore numerous pieces of significant jewelry during the official mourning period for the late monarch, but the most talked-about was the diamond and sapphire brooch she wore for the state funeral on September 19.
The Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch is an heirloom from Queen Victoria’s collection. She received the brooch, which features the number 60 in Cyrillic numerals inside a heart, from several of her Hesse grandchildren, including Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. The brooch’s heart motif suggests affection, and the brooch also celebrates royal longevity—perfect for a service celebrating the late Elizabeth II.
A few weeks later, in November 2022, King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted the first state visit of their reign. They threw a grand state banquet for the President of South Africa at Buckingham Palace on November 22. For the occasion, Camilla wore several pieces of sapphire jewelry beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The nineteenth-century sapphire and diamond necklace was a wedding gift from Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, in 1947. The tiara, which was once a necklace, is special as well, as it was one of only a few that Elizabeth herself acquired during her 70-year reign.
Queen Camilla wore the sapphires again a few days later for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace on December 6. This time around, she added the necklace’s pendant for a more complete look with her v-neck gown.
On December 15, Queen Camilla joined the royal family at Westminster Abbey for a carol service coordinated by the Princess of Wales. For the occasion, she wore an Art Deco brooch set with diamonds and citrines. The brooch once belonged to the late Queen Mother, and though Camilla had worn it on previous occasions, it hadn’t been seen in a very long time before this appearance.
On Christmas Day, Camilla debuted a special diamond brooch that also has Art Deco style in its design. We learned later, when Camilla wore the jewel again during Royal Ascot, that the brooch comes from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry collection.
In February, a few months before the coronation, Camilla debuted a new diamond, sapphire, emerald, and ruby brooch in the shape of a heraldic Tudor crown. The crown is the same one used in Charles and Camilla’s royal cyphers.
On Commonwealth Day, Camilla brought out a major new-to-her brooch at Westminster Abbey: the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch, previously worn by Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth II. As the name suggests, Queen Mary reportedly acquired the brooch from the daughters of Empress Marie Feodorovna, mother of the last tsar.
Camilla also wore a special pair of earrings on Commonwealth Day set with sapphires, diamonds, rubies, and pearls. The earrings were once part of the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth II. (Because Camilla does not have pierced ears, we haven’t seen her wear any earrings yet that were actually worn by Elizabeth II.)
At the Cheltenham Festival on March 15, Camilla wore a new racing-themed brooch. A similar (but not identical) brooch belonged to the late Queen.
On March 29, at the start of the state visit to Germany, Queen Camilla wore a fantastic turquoise and diamond floral brooch. Buckingham Palace revealed that the brooch had been a confirmation gift from Queen Mary to Queen Elizabeth II in March 1942.
That evening, at a state banquet at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin, Camilla appeared in another jewel linked to Queen Elizabeth II: the City of London Fringe Necklace, which was one of Elizabeth’s wedding gifts in November 1947. She paired the necklace with new fringe earrings made to match and the Greville Tiara.
On March 31, in Hamburg, Queen Camilla wore one of the most important British royal brooches of all: Prince Albert’s Brooch, famously given by him to Queen Victoria on the night before their royal wedding. The jewel is one of the Heirlooms of the Crown.
Queen Camilla, who was appointed as the royal colonel of the Grenadier Guards back in December, made a sentimental appearance in one of Queen Elizabeth II’s most treasured badges on April 27. She wore Elizabeth’s Grenadier Guards Badge, given to the young princess at the age of 16, for the presentation of new colours to the regiment. A few months later, she wore the badge again for Trooping the Colour.
On May 6, the most important day of her year by far, Queen Camilla was crowned alongside her husband at Westminster Abbey. She wore Queen Mary’s Coronation Crown for the pivotal moment. The crown had been renovated for her use, with several of the Cullinan Diamonds incorporated in place of previously-worn stones.
Queen Camilla also wore another special jewel at the coronation: a diamond necklace made for Queen Victoria in 1858. Now known simply as the Coronation Necklace, the jewel has now been worn at five coronations (1902, 1911, 1937, 1953, and 2023).
During the post-coronation visit to Northern Ireland, Queen Camilla remembered her late mother-in-law by wearing a diamond and emerald knot brooch from her collection. The brooch was Queen Mary’s wedding present from Emperor Nicholas II of Russia in 1893.
Royal Ascot always brings us some fantastic jewelry moments, and Queen Camilla rose to the occasion this year, attending all five days of the races. My favorite jewel of the week was the Courtauld-Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch, a piece treasured by both the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II.
Which royal jewels do you hope to see Queen Camilla wear next?
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