A Cullinan Diamond for Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace

The British royals were out in force for the first garden party of the season at Buckingham Palace today, and Queen Camilla brought us an heirloom jewelry treat, wearing one of the family’s most important diamond brooches.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were joined by the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester for a garden party at Buckingham Palace today. Above, the royals stand during the National Anthem before mingling with their guests.

The King’s attendance at the garden party is another good sign that he’s continuing to recover well during his cancer treatments. He wore an elegant morning suit for the occasion, while Queen Camilla opted for a dress by Fiona Clare and a Philip Treacy hat.

We got a decent glimpse of the King’s tie pin during the garden party, too: it’s one of his favorites, set with diamonds and a cabochon sapphire.

But it was Queen Camilla who pulled off the major jewelry moment of the day. With favorite pearls from her jewelry box–her diamond floral and pearl drop earrings and her four-stranded pearl choker with the round diamond clasp–she wore the magnificent Cullinan V Brooch.

The intricate platinum brooch is set with several diamonds, the largest of which is the heart-shaped Cullinan V. The 18.8-carat stone was cut from the enormous Cullinan Diamond, which was mined in South Africa in 1905 and given King Edward VII. The rough diamond weighed more than 3000 carats, and when it was cut in Amsterdam, nine major diamonds were produced. Queen Mary was responsible for the elegant setting of the Cullinan V Brooch, which could be worn as a stand-alone brooch, as part of a large stomacher, or as the centerpiece of her honeysuckle tiara.

Here, Queen Mary wears the Cullinan V Brooch as the centerpiece of a large corsage ornament. There are also other Cullinan stones worn here, including the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, both worn affixed to the Delhi Durbar Tiara, and the Cullinan VI and Cullinan VIII, worn above and below the Cullinan V.

The brooch was inherited by Queen Mary’s granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. The jewel was one of her very favorites for the next 70 years, appearing at countless engagements and family occasions over those decades. Above, she wears the brooch at Marlborough House in May 2006.

Today’s garden party, of course, is actually the second time that Queen Camilla has worn the Cullinan V Diamond. For the coronation last May, the brooch was mounted on Queen Mary’s Crown in the spot designed to house the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. Queen Mary also wore her crown with the Cullinan V mounted in this spot on occasion, including for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.

Here’s one more look at Queen Camilla sparkling in the Cullinan V Brooch at today’s garden party.

There were also a few other pieces of interesting royal jewelry worn by the other royals at the party, including Princess Anne and Duchess Sophie.

Princess Anne wore pearls, including the three-stranded necklace that many of us believe she inherited from her late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. She’s also wearing a stylized bird brooch from her jewelry box. I’ve speculated in the past that the brooch could depict a phoenix.

Sophie opted for a pair of modern statement earrings that incorporate pearls in their design.

And here’s a fairly decent glimpse of the Duchess of Gloucester and her jewels. Birgitte wore pearls with a diamond flower brooch from her collection. She wore the same necklace and brooch (and the same hat and dress) for a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

Coincidentally, the Platinum Jubilee was also one of the last times we saw the late Queen wearing the Cullinan V Brooch, during her famous tea with Paddington Bear.