How about a little bonus royal jewelry today, magpies? An appearance of one of Britain’s most iconic royal brooches always deserves a little extra time in the spotlight! Here’s a closer look at Queen Camilla wearing Prince Albert’s Brooch on the Isle of Man earlier today.
Queen Camilla traveled to the Irish sea for a special visit to the Isle of Man on Wednesday. The island has an unusual status within the United Kingdom: it’s a self-governing British Crown Dependency, and King Charles III holds the title of “Lord of Mann” as the island’s head of state. Charles was supposed to be the one making this visit originally, but because of his continuing cancer treatment, Camilla stepped in to represent him.
Naturally, the visit included a stop at Government House in Onchan, the official residence of the Lord of Mann’s local representative, the island’s Lieutenant Governor. That role has been held since 2021 by Sir John Lorimer, a retired British army officer. Along with a meeting with Lorimer, Camilla also attended a reception at Government House to meet with local community groups.
The centerpiece of the visit, however, took place in the island’s capital of Douglas. She headed to Douglas Borough Council, where she was greeted by the Mayor of Douglas, Natalie Byron-Teare. Inside, Queen Camilla delivered remarks on behalf of King Charles (who was “desperately disappointed” that he could not be there in person) and officially bestowed city status on the town.
Queen Camilla presented the Letters Patent confirming the new city status, which was granted in May 2022 during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. The late Queen’s death delayed the official paperwork, and in his prepared remarks, King Charles noted that the city’s Letters Patent are “the only ones in existence that hold my signature and that of my late mother.”
During her time in Douglas, Queen Camilla also did a walkabout so that she could greet members of the public who had gathered to see her.
That walkabout gave us a fantastic view of the special piece of jewelry that Camilla chose to wear for the occasion: a diamond and sapphire brooch that has been in the British royal collection since 1840.
The brooch was Prince Albert’s gift to his bride-to-be, Queen Victoria, on the night before their wedding in February 1840. She was thrilled with the present, describing it in her diary as “a splendid brooch, a large sapphire set round with diamonds, which is really quite beautiful.” Research published by the late jewelry historian Erik Schoonhoven indicates that the brooch was likely acquired from a Dutch jeweler.
Queen Victoria wore the brooch on her wedding day, and seven years later, she wore it again with her bridal gown and jewels for a portrait painted by Winterhalter. She continued to treasure the brooch throughout her life. In her will, she designated it as one of the Heirlooms of the Crown, a collection of jewels that passes directly from monarch to monarch.
Accordingly, the brooch has subsequently been worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II, and now Queen Camilla. Queen Elizabeth II had the brooch in her jewelry box from her accession in 1952 until her death in 2022, and during that 70-year period, it was one of her most-worn and most-loved royal jewels.
We saw Queen Camilla make her first public appearance in the Albert Brooch in Hamburg during the state visit to Germany last March. It was a fitting choice, given that Prince Albert was born in Germany and maintained strong ties to the nation even after marrying Britain’s monarch.
Here’s one more look at Queen Camilla wearing the brooch earlier today on the Isle of Man. You’ll note that she’s wearing the same coat dress that she wore with the brooch in Germany in March 2023, but this time around, she’s positioned the brooch a bit more vertically. There’s no rule that states that the brooch must be worn one way or the other, and I think it’s refreshing to see its positioning changed up a bit. What do all of you think: are you Team Horizontal or Team Vertical where Prince Albert’s Brooch is concerned?
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