Royal Week has begun in Scotland, and Queen Camilla made a sparkling appearance at a palace garden party north of the border, wearing a diamond thistle that belonged to Queen Mary.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla headed up the royal party at the Sovereign’s Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Tuesday. They were joined, appropriately, by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. You’ll also spot another familiar face, the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, at the top of the staircase in this photograph. He’s the hereditary bearer of the Crown of Scotland.
The King wore morning dress for the garden party, and Queen Camilla looked fresh in cool Scottish blue. Her Fiona Clare coatdress featured lovely floral embroidery, and the motif was echoed by a flower embellishment on her hat.
The King once again brought out one of his favorite jeweled tie pins, which features the royal cypher of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria. We saw him wear the same pin recently at Royal Ascot.
Queen Camilla wore a favorite pair of earrings, diamond floral clips with pearl drops, but she also made her debut in yet another royal heirloom brooch. This time, she brought out the gorgeous diamond thistle brooch that belonged to the King’s great-grandmother, Queen Mary.
In this photograph, taken during the last summer of the reign of King George V, Queen Mary wears the thistle brooch pinned to her hat. In the picture, George and Mary are riding in a carriage back to Balmoral with their beloved granddaughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, after attending a church service at nearby Crathie Kirk.
Elizabeth II would be the next wearer of her grandmother’s striking thistle ornament. Here, she wears it pinned to a royal blue coat for the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s Parliament in June 2019.
Here’s another look at Queen Camilla wearing the brooch for today’s garden party. I’m really enjoying her recent forays into the brooch section of the royal vaults!
For the garden party, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also dressed in their daytime best. Edward wore a morning suit, with a tie pin in the shape of the cap badge of The Rifles, while Sophie wore a light blue Roland Mouret dress with a Jane Taylor hat.
Sophie sparkled in a pair of diamond-set huggie-style hoop earrings. It’s the second recent outing for the earrings, after an appearance at Royal Ascot (on Edward and Sophie’s silver wedding anniversary!) in June. For the garden party, she paired the earrings with a necklace featuring a blue gemstone pendant surrounded by a halo of diamonds.
Tomorrow, the King and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, with the Duke of Rothesay, are due to attend the annual Order of the Thistle service in Edinburgh, and the King and Queen will host an event at Edinburgh Castle. Here’s hoping we see some significant jewels for those events. I’ll be covering them here if we do, and if not, I’ll see you back here with more on Thursday!
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