An Heirloom Diamond Brooch for Queen Camilla in Norfolk

Our look back at some of the jewels worn over the recent weeks of the new year continues today with an outing by Queen Camilla in Norfolk, wearing a special brooch that may be linked to three generations of the King’s maternal ancestors.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom were still in residence at Sandringham in Norfolk at the dawn of the year, and on Sunday, January 5, they attended a church service at nearby St. Mary Magdalene. Generations of the royal family have worshiped at the church, and it’s the place where they celebrate Christmas publicly each December.

For the Sunday service, Queen Camilla wore a cozy brown ensemble: a coat with matching tall boots and one of her fur-trimmed hats. It was a rainy day, so she also carried one of the royal family’s signature clear umbrellas.

She accessorized with golden hoop earrings and an heirloom brooch that we first saw her wear on Christmas Day in December 2023. The brooch, which is set with white and yellow gemstones, is in the shape of an embellished cross.

Here’s a look at Camilla wearing the brooch in public for the first time a little more than a year ago. At the time, royal reporters were briefed that the jewel belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Buckingham Palace’s press office referred to the piece as the Raspberry Pip Brooch. A “pip” is a seed, and the reference is presumably related to that part of the berry itself. But, like many of us, Camilla seems to view this piece as a cross-shaped jewel, because so far she has worn it twice to church services.

After Camilla’s debut in the brooch in December 2023, many began hunting around for possible provenance information. The Queen Mother’s mother, the Countess of Strathmore, wore brooches that appear to be similar in shape and size to Camilla’s brooch. (The late Queen also wore another similar version in Norfolk in 2003.) In the photograph above, taken in 1927, Lady Strathmore wears a similar cross brooch on her bodice as she walks with Princess Elizabeth in the garden of St. Paul’s Walden Bury.

Another interesting piece of information, unearthed by the writer behind the British Royal Jewels account on Instagram, may also point to a connection between Camilla’s brooch and Lady Strathmore. When the Countess passed away in 1938, she left behind a will that specified legacies to numerous family and friends. To her youngest daughter, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), she left a diamond snake bracelet and a yellow diamond cross from her personal jewelry collection. (As this excerpted report from the Telegraph shows, she also left Elizabeth half of the china housed at 84 Eaton Square, as well as a Pietro di Cosimo painting.) I certainly think it’s possible that the cross referenced here and the brooch worn by Camilla are the same jewel. Further clarification from the Royal Collection Trust would be extremely helpful in cementing that provenance.

Here’s one more picture of Camilla wearing the brooch on Christmas Day in 2023. This image shows the yellow hue of some of the gemstones more clearly. If the Strathmore connection is correct, these would be valuable yellow diamonds.

And here’s one more view, taken through a rainy haze, of Camilla wearing the brooch on January 5. What do you think: are you convinced by the connection to the Strathmores? Do you think these are yellow diamonds?