Queen Camilla’s Luminous Moonstone Moment at Westminster Abbey

Queen Camilla headed to Westminster Abbey to tour a special new project on Thursday, and she wore a gorgeous little brooch for the visit.

On Thursday, Queen Camilla headed to Westminster Abbey to tour the new sacristy project, which will transform the visitor experience at the historic church. “A new building will be constructed adjoining the North side of the Abbey to house welcome, ticketing and security facilities, allowing all visitors to follow in the footsteps of kings, queens and royal brides and enter by the Great West Door,” the Abbey website explains. “Visitor infrastructure will be cleared from the church, freeing more than 10% of the Abbey floorplan for enjoyment by visitors and worshippers, and a number of historic monuments which are currently obscured will once again be visible.” The new building will officially be named the King Charles III Sacristy when it is completed.

Queen Camilla is patron of the sacristy project, which is being constructed on the site of the former 13th-century Great Sacristy, a section of the building where the monks stored their vestments and other sacred items. The original sacristy was repurposed as housing after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, and it was demolished completely in the 1700s. A century later, the original medieval foundation walls of the sacristy were rediscovered during excavations, and the new sacristy project is being built on that footprint.

The Abbey plans to have the new building completed by 2026. Queen Camilla had the chance to see the progress on the project in person on Thursday. She was apparently particularly fascinated by some of the archaeological finds that have been unearthed during the project so far, including skeletons from medieval burials. Royal reporter Rebecca English noted that the Queen “said she might feel a bit differently if she visited after hours!”

For her visit to the Abbey, Queen Camilla wore a light blue skirt suit with scalloped detailing on the jacket, paired with spectator pumps.

Her accessories for the day included pearl drop earrings and her usual necklaces and bracelets, as well as a lovely brooch that continued the blue theme of the ensemble.

The brooch is set with diamonds and a central blue cabochon gemstone, which most of us presume is a gleaming blue moonstone.

We first saw Camilla wearing the brooch in public when she was still the Duchess of Cornwall. In July 2022, she wore the brooch to present the trophy for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.

She also wore the brooch a few months later, after her husband’s accession, to greet the President of South Africa at the start of his state visit to Britain in November 2022.

Here’s an excellent view of Camilla wearing the brooch yesterday at Westminster Abbey. Some have guessed that the brooch may be an Art Deco-era piece, and I think that’s certainly possible. Here’s hoping we learn more about the brooch soon!