While I was in the UK last week, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were traveling through Italy and celebrating their wedding anniversary. For the events of their state visit, Queen Camilla wore some spectacular royal brooches and a special turquoise necklace with major sentimental importance.
My rundown of the important jewels of last week’s British state visit to Italy begins with a special portrait, taken on April 7 at Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British ambassador to Italy in Rome. The new image of the couple was released ahead of their twentieth wedding anniversary, which they celebrated during the state visit on Wednesday. In the picture, Camilla wears favorite pearl drop earrings with a special brooch. The jewel, made by Fabergé, was given to the Queen Mother by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev during his official visit to Britain in April 1956.
The main events of the state visit began last Tuesday, when President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter, Laura, officially welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to the Quirinale Palace in Rome. Once the home of the Kings of Italy, the palace is now the official residence of Italy’s president.
For the welcome ceremony, Camilla wore a favorite royal blue dress and jacket. She accessorized with sapphire and diamond earrings (previously worn, I believe, during last year’s visit to Guernsey) and Prince Albert’s Brooch. The iconic sapphire and diamond cluster brooch was given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria on the night before their wedding in 1840. It is now an Heirloom of the Crown.
On Tuesday evening, King Charles and Queen Camilla attended a reception at Villa Wolkonsky, which was also attended by members of the British-Italian community.
With a bright green dress, Camilla wore her gold and diamond coronation earrings, plus another heirloom royal brooch. This emerald and diamond brooch, designed in the shape of a Celtic knot, was one of Queen Mary’s wedding presents. She received it in 1893, likely from one of her new husband’s first cousins, the future Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.
Wednesday, April 9, was a special day for the royal couple: their twentieth wedding anniversary. While we chatted about the jewels and clothes from the day here at TCJ, Queen Camilla brought out one of her wedding day outfits in Italy. She wore a reworked version of her civil wedding coat, made by Robinson Valentine, for a visit to the Italian Parliament in Rome.
Here’s a look at Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005. The coat, which Camilla wore with a different dress for their wedding ceremony at the Guildhall, appears to have been lengthened significantly.
Charles and Camilla also made an unannounced stop during Wednesday’s events. They headed to the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Francis, who is still recovering from his recent illness. For the meeting, Camilla wore pearls with the Cartier Ivy Leaf Clips that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.
For Wednesday night’s black-tie state banquet, Camilla wore a teal lace evening gown with a special selection of diamond and turquoise jewelry.
With the diamond earrings from her pear-shaped demi-parure and a diamond bracelet, Camilla wore a special diamond and turquoise necklace. The jewel, which features cluster and fringe design elements, has always been said to be a piece from Camilla’s own family. Last week, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the necklace belonged to Camilla’s mother, Rosalind Cubitt Shand.
On the fourth and final day of the state visit, Charles and Camilla traveled to Ravenna, where they made numerous stops, including a visit to Dante’s Tomb. Camilla wore another neutral day ensemble for the visit. The beige and white dress is the same one worn earlier in the week for the official anniversary portrait.
Camilla’s final brooch of the visit was a new one. The brooch was made by an avant-garde Italian jewelry designer, Lucia Odescalchi. The brooch is similar in design to a pair of earrings made by Odescalchi, which feature hematite flat cubes with silver, gold, and bronze finishing. Camilla paired the brooch with gold and diamond earrings from her personal collection.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.