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State Visit Jewels: The Queen Visits France (2014)

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Our survey of the jewels worn by the Queen during her most recent state visits abroad continues today with a very important visit: 2014’s diplomatic trip to France, which also marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh left London for Paris on June 5, 2014. They traveled to France by train, departing from the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras.

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Before boarding the train, the Queen unveiled a plaque commemorating the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Eurotunnel.

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For the official departure ceremonies, the Queen wore a brooch that had belonged to her late mother: the Sapphire and Diamond Grapes Brooch.

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When the train pulled in to the Gare du Nord in Paris, the Queen was welcomed by the British ambassador to France and the French head of protocol.

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She changed her outfit and jewels during the journey, alighting from the train wearing the Botswana Sorghum Brooch. (This was the brooch’s public debut.)

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After conducting investitures at the ambassador’s residence, the Queen and the Duke journeyed to the Arc du Triomphe in the center of Paris.

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They were joined at the memorial by President Hollande. He joined the Queen as she laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

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For the memorial visit and a meeting at the Elysee Palace, the Queen wore one of the most important brooches in her collection: the Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch, set with one of the world’s rarest pink diamonds.

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That evening, the Queen and the Duke returned to the ambassador’s residence, where they attended a garden reception celebrating the Queen’s birthday. (Her birthday is in April, but it is traditionally celebrated in Britain in June.)

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For the garden party, the Queen chose her mixed-metals floral brooch. (This was the brooch’s public debut; its provenance has not been established.)

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June 6, 2014 was the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, and the Queen and the Duke spent most of the day participating in official commemorations of that anniversary. They started the day at the Bayeux Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Normandy, where the Queen laid a wreath.

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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall joined them at the cemetery, where the four royals attended a service of remembrance.

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The Queen’s choice of brooch for the day underscored the importance of the ceremonies. This was a rare daytime outing for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Fringe Brooch, an heirloom that was particularly beloved by the late Queen Mother. The Queen usually wears the brooch for gala events, but she made an exception for this very important day of remembrance and commemoration.

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The Duchess of Cornwall’s brooch also held significant meaning. She wore the badge of the Lancers. Her late father, Major Bruce Shand, served with the regiment during World War II.

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After the service of remembrance, the Queen and the Duke joined other heads of state and dignitaries for a luncheon hosted by President Hollande at the Château de Bénouville in Ouistreham. You’ll note several other royals in this photo, including King Harald V of Norway, King Philippe of the Belgians, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, Prince Albert II of Monaco, and King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.

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After the luncheon, the Queen and the Duke joined the rest of the diplomatic guests at Sword Beach in Normandy, where they viewed a re-enactment of the events of D-Day. Three of the royal guests in attendance also served in World War II: the Queen, the Duke, and Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Another monarch, King Harald V of Norway, was forced into exile as a child because of the war, and yet another, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, was born during the German occupation of her country.

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Here’s a look at some of the other royal jewels we saw on Sword Beach. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark honored her father, King Frederik IX, by wearing a badge featuring the emblem of the Royal Danish Navy. She also wore earrings from her collection of turquoise jewelry.

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Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore her classic diamond and pearl earrings, while Queen Maxima of the Netherlands chose floral earrings and her ruby, sapphire, and emerald tennis bracelets.

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On the evening of June 6, the Queen and the Duke returned to Paris for a state dinner at the Elysee Palace.

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The Queen absolutely dazzled in diamonds for the occasion, including the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and the Coronation Earrings and Necklace.

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She wore one of her evening watches on her right wrist, and on her left wrist, she wore the same modern diamond bracelet worn a few years earlier during the state visit to Ireland.

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She secured the sash of the Order of the Legion of Honour with the Queen Mother’s Ruby Bouquet Brooch.

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On June 7, the Queen and the Duke began the day at the Hotel de Ville, the official residence of Paris’s mayor, Madame Hidalgo.

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The day continued with a visit to Paris’s flower market…

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…which was renamed in the Queen’s honor.

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For the third and final day of the state visit, the Queen wore another newer brooch from her collection, which features six diamond flowers with yellow centers. This is the same brooch she wore for a state dinner in Oman in 2010.

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And then, the state visit was over. President Hollande escorted the Queen and the Duke to the airport for their flight back to Britain. It seems likely that this was the Queen’s last state visit to France; to complete the circle, you might enjoy looking back at the jewels she wore on her very first visit to Paris in 1948.

State Visit Jewels: The Queen Visits Ireland (2011)

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The spring of 2011 was a momentous time for the Windsors. Not only did the family celebrate the wedding of a future king, the Queen embarked on one of the most important state visits of her entire reign: the first visit of a reigning British monarch to the Republic of Ireland.

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The visit came a century after the last visit of a reigning monarch to Dublin. King George V and Queen Mary, the Queen’s grandparents, made a tour of Ireland in July 1911 to mark their accession to the throne. At that time, George V was Ireland’s ruler — but anyone familiar with Irish history knows that changed in the twentieth century. When the Queen touched down in Dublin on May 17, 2011, she was there as a foreign head of state on a diplomatic visit.

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On her arrival, the Queen wore an important royal jewel: one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches.

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After their arrival, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh headed straight for Aras An Uachtarain, where they had tea with President Mary McAleese and her husband, Martin.

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Then she visited Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance, where both she and President McAleese laid ceremonial wreaths.

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For the memorial visit, as well as the rest of her afternoon engagements, the Queen wore the Grima Ruby Brooch, which features a central carved ruby and a scarab motif.

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Next, the Queen and the Duke made a visit to Trinity College, where they viewed several of the university’s treasures, including the Book of Kells.

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On May 18, the Queen and the Duke began the day at another important Irish institution: the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Here, they’re pictured at the Gravity Bar atop the building.

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For the Guinness visit, the Queen wore her Aquamarine Clips. These were a birthday gift from her father, King George VI, in 1944.

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She wore the clips for the rest of her morning engagements on the 18th, including a visit to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens, where she placed another wreath.

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In the afternoon, she changed her clothes and jewelry before her arrival at Croke Park, where she was hosted by Gaelic Athletic Association President Christy Cooney.

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For this portion of the visit, she wore the Australian Wattle Brooch, which she’s had in her jewelry box since 1954.

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That evening, the Queen and the Duke joined President McAleese and other important Irish officials for a state banquet at Dublin Castle.

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The Queen wore diamonds for the dinner, including the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Young women from Ireland were among the subscribers who donated money toward the purchase of this tiara, which was a wedding gift to Queen Mary in 1893. The Queen’s gown also featured a crystal embellishment designed in the shape of a Celtic harp, one of Ireland’s national symbols. Additionally, the top of her gown was decorated with silk shamrocks. (The dress is discussed in detail in Angela Kelly’s Dressing the Queen.)

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The Queen also accessorized with her modern diamond fringe necklace and Queen Mary’s Diamond Floret Earrings. On her right wrist she wore her modern three-row diamond bracelet, with its two distinctive knot-like design elements.

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On her left wrist, she wore her diamond evening watch. This photo also clearly shows one of the most delightful bejeweled parts of this banquet: the rings! Along with her wedding and engagement rings, the Queen wore another diamond ring on the middle finger of her left hand. I think this one is Queen Mary’s Town of Windsor Ring, which was a wedding gift from, of course, the town of Windsor.

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A closer look at her right hand reveals two more diamond rings as well. I don’t know the provenance of these rings, which both look to be more like diamond eternity bands in design.

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On the morning of May 19, the Queen and the Duke traveled to Kildare for an engagement that was right up the Queen’s alley: a visit to the Irish National Stud.

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The delighted monarch wore another classic and important brooch from the royal vault for the visit: Prince Albert’s Brooch.

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Later in the day, the royal couple returned to Dublin, where they joined President McAleese for a special reception highlighting the best of Irish culture at the city’s Convention Center.

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For the occasion, she wore a brand-new brooch, which had been presented to her earlier in the visit by President McAleese. This silver brooch features spiral designs inspired by the prehistoric Newgrange Monument in County Meath. The gift also included a pair of matching cufflinks for the Duke.

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On the morning of the last day of the visit, May 20, the Queen and the Duke traveled by helicopter to the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary.

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They toured the site, including the cathedral, with officials and cabinet members.

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Next, the couple traveled to Cork, where the Queen unveiled a plaque — and chatted with a fishmonger — at the English market. She also took part in a walkabout.

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Day four of the visit finally saw the Queen bring out an emerald in the Emerald Isle. She wore the round diamond and cluster portion of the Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch, leaving off its pear-shaped emerald drop.

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And then, it was time to head back to the United Kingdom. The Queen was escorted to her aircraft at Cork Airport by Taoiseach Enda Kenny. It was the end of a truly historic moment from the Queen’s long reign.

State Visit Jewels: The Queen Visits the UAE and Oman (2010)

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One of the things I’ve been missing most of all lately is state visits — the pomp, the glamour, the banquets! Since this autumn won’t be bringing us our usual round of visits, let’s have a look back at some of the Queen’s most recent visits abroad. Today, we’re beginning with a look at the jewels she wore in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in November 2010.

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The visit began in Abu Dhabi on November 24, 2010. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh touched down at the Abu Dhabi International Airport and were greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as the British ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
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For her arrival in Abu Dhabi, the Queen wore a rarely-seen brooch, which features a pair of flowers set in bright yellow gold. The brooch has been seen so infrequently, and photographs so unusually, that it’s been difficult to nail down the piece’s provenance and design. However, it seems that she’s had the brooch since at least the 1960s.
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Immediately after their arrival, the Queen and the Duke headed to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, where they paid their respects at Sheikh Zayed’s tomb before touring the mosque. For this event, the Queen followed the expected dress code, changing into a long coat and wrapping a scarf around her hat.
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The coat from this ensemble features dazzling appliques, but this angle shows that the Queen also wore at least one piece of jewelry: her everyday pearls.
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On November 25, the Queen and the Duke participated in various engagements and audiences throughout Abu Dhabi. The Queen had a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai. 
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Later, he accompanied her to unveil the design of the Zayed National Museum, which has a partnership agreement with the British Museum. (Ten years later, the museum is still under construction, presently slated to open in 2021.)
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For these daytime meetings and engagements, the Queen chose a brooch that she’s been wearing since 1947: the Flame Lily Brooch.
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The Queen and the Duke changed into formal attire for a meeting with Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, at the Mushrif Palace.
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The Queen wore diamonds for the occasion, including diamond girandole earrings and a diamond riviere. She secured the sash of the Order of the Garter with Queen Mary’s Diamond Bar Brooch. The collar of the Order of Zayed, which she received during this visit, is placed over the Garter sash.
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She also wore her diamond evening watch and the Diamond Baguette and Brilliant Bracelet. The bracelet, which features a distinctive twist in its design, was a gift to the then-Princess Elizabeth from her father, King George VI, in 1949.
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After wrapping up engagements in Abu Dhabi, the Queen and the Duke flew on to Oman, arriving at the airport in Muscat on the evening of November 25. There they were greeted by the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, who died earlier this year after a reign of nearly fifty years.
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For her arrival in Muscat, the Queen wore the sapphire and diamond cluster portion of Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch without its pearl pendant.
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On November 26, the royal couple began a busy schedule of engagements in Oman, meeting with local dignitaries and taking an official salute at Al-Alam Palace.
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The Queen chose pink for her outfit and accessories for this part of the visit. Her brooch is the diamond and pink gemstone cluster that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary.
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That evening, the Queen and the Duke were feted by the Sultan with a state banquet at Al Alam Palace. They exchanged official gifts beforehand; in the image above, the Sultan shows them the Faberge-style egg he offered them as a gift.
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The Queen wore diamonds and rubies for the state banquet — but no tiara. She wore the necklace and earrings from the Crown Ruby Suite, as well as one of her newer brooches, which features six diamond flowers with bright yellow centers. The Queen began wearing the brooch in 2009.
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She also wore her lovely and distinctive Art Deco-style ruby and diamond bracelet, which has been in her collection since at least the 1960s. (The golden vase in the photo was another official gift from the Sultan.)
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On November 27, the Queen and the Duke attended a garden party reception at the home of the British ambassador to Oman.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
For the garden party, the Queen chose heirloom jewels with a natural theme: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Wheat Ear Brooches. The Queen also sometimes wears these as hair ornaments; Princess Eugenie also borrowed them to wear in her hair for her wedding reception in 2018.
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In the afternoon, the Queen and the Duke joined the Sultan for an equestrian show at Madinat al-Hidayat, which included demonstrations by the Omani Royal Cavalry. After the show, she offered the Sultan an important gift: she invested him with the Royal Victorian Chain.
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For the horse show, the Queen chose one of her longtime favorite jewels: the Golden Dahlia Brooch.
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On November 28, the Queen and the Duke’s Middle Eastern visit came to an end. They said their farewells to the Sultan at the airport in Muscat before flying back to London.
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For the official farewell, the Queen chose an important royal jewel: the Cullinan V Brooch. And then, it was back to London, where important royal things were happening — Prince William had announced his engagement to Kate Middleton on November 16, and there was a royal wedding to plan!