The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh headed to Westminster Abbey for an important celebration on Wednesday—and Sophie brought along a necklace dedicated to the memory of the late Queen.
On Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess arrived at the Abbey for a service celebrating the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service.
The NHS was officially launched on July 5, 1948. Its founder, Aneurin Bevan, was Minister of Health under Prime Minister Clement Atlee. In the wake of World War II, the NHS was designed to provide comprehensive care to improve the mental and physical health of the people of England and Wales. The Scottish NHS was created two years later, and soon after Northern Ireland’s NHS was launched as well.
The NHS remains one of the most popular facets of British society. Last year, the late Queen Elizabeth II presented the entire NHS system with the George Cross, a recognition of their selfless and outstanding work during the pandemic. Here, Sophie shakes hands with Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of NHS England, who was one of those who received the honor on behalf of the entire organization.
For the Westminster Abbey service, Duchess Sophie wore a pink floral dress from one of her go-to designers, Suzannah.
She accessorized with silver-toned jewelry.
Her earrings feature pale cabochon gemstones (light pink, I believe?) in silver bezel settings.
Her silver necklace features a special pendant with a very sentimental, meaningful message.
The pendant comes from Cassandra Goad. It is engraved with the phrase “The golden thread of courage has no end.” It’s a poignant reminder of the crucial work of NHS staff, and it’s also a nod to the memory of the late Queen.
The quotation comes from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 1981 Christmas broadcast. At the end of her message, she shared lines from a poem that had been sent to her a few weeks earlier: “When all your world is torn with grief and strife/Think yet—when there seems nothing left to mend/The frail and time-worn fabric of your life,/The golden thread of courage has no end.”
The special Cassandra Goad pendant is engraved with the last line of that poem. The brand’s website explains that the company is “giving the proceeds from the sale of these pendants to the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales in support of their Philanthropic and Charitable work, in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II.” The silver pendant retails for £235.
Finally, Sophie wore several delicate silver-toned bracelets on her right wrist and her engagement and wedding rings on her left hand.
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