The British royal family was out and about at the Sandringham estate as usual this Christmas, and the day brought us lovely brooches from several family members. Here’s a look at four of them…

The Queen’s ensemble on Christmas Day featured a large fur collar, so she didn’t wear a brooch. But for her annual pre-recorded Christmas message, she wore a brooch that has featured significantly in her jewelry wardrobe this year: the large aquamarine and diamond Art Deco brooch that belonged to the Queen Mother. The Queen wore the same brooch this year on May 8, which was the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. I’ve speculated earlier here on the blog that this brooch may be the one that the Queen Mum wore on the balcony of Buckingham Palace on V-E Day,

The photographs that the royals include in the background of taped messages are always significant. This year’s photos — a candid picture of the Queen and Prince Philip, a portrait from Charles and Camilla’s wedding, and a portrait from Princess Charlotte’s christening — underscore the continuity of the monarchy through four generations of Windsors. The women of those generations followed the Queen’s example and wore brooches on their coats at Christmas. Camilla chose a diamond brooch from her collection of insect-themed jewelry.

Kate also wore a brooch on Christmas Day this year. The gold, diamond, and pearl piece features leaves and acorns, which are part of her family’s coat of arms.

Kate has had the brooch in her jewelry collection for at least three years. This wasn’t the brooch’s first public appearance; Kate wore it in May 2012 at the luncheon held for foreign sovereigns during the Diamond Jubilee, although it was hidden beneath her hair in most of the photographs from that event.

One of the most elegant members of the family, Lady Sarah Chatto, also pinned a brooch to her coat on Christmas Day. As is the case with most of Lady Sarah’s important jewelry, the diamond and pearl star brooch is a legacy from her late mother, Princess Margaret.

I’m really excited to see Kate in particular embracing the brooch — the Queen’s collection of important brooches is massive, and I’d hate to see them gather dust in boxes when the next generations of royal women get the keys to the vault.

Christmas morning means a special treat for British royal watchers, as the royal family attends morning services at King’s Lynn near the Sandringham Estate. HM wore a vibrant pink coat and hat to church, along with her usual daytime pearls. On her coat she pinned the Tudor Rose Brooch, a piece she’s been wearing with some regularity since 2012. Some think it might have been a Diamond Jubilee gift.

The Duchess of Cornwall, who is reportedly suffering from back problems, stayed back at the estate this year, so the second-ranking lady on the day was the Duchess of Cambridge. She chose a pair of earrings we’ve seen before: Catherine Zoraida’s Double Leaf Earrings, which retail for £140.

Unfortunately, the other images available of the royals either show them not wearing much jewelry, like Princess Eugenie above…

… or don’t give us a particularly close view, as with this image of Princess Anne. (Is that a brooch under that handbag strap? Hard to say.)

Autumn Phillips looks to have selected small gold earrings to accompany her Christmas outfit.

Princess Beatrice, however, appears to have gone jewel-free — not surprising, as she doesn’t usually pile on the jewels.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all that’s available for me to post here in terms of views of the royals. Others did attend — that’s Sophie Wessex you can see peeking over Peter Phillips’s shoulder. (Sophie went light on the jewelry, wearing small stud earrings. More, as usual, at Anna’s blog!) But we did get a look at another piece of royal jewelry on Christmas:

The Queen wore pearls for her annual Christmas message — one of her two-stranded pearl necklaces, pearl earrings, and the Duchess of Cambridge’s Pendant Brooch, a piece that originally belonged to Queen Mary’s grandmother. The brooch had symbolic ties to the message this year, which discussed the centenary of the beginning of World War I. You can see photographs of King George V and Queen Mary (who were on the throne in 1914) in the background, plus one of the tins from Princess Mary’s 1914 Christmas gift to soldiers.