Princess Anne’s Fascinating Heirloom Sapphire Brooch in London

Last week, the Princess Royal was the guest of honor at a military musical performance in London, and she wore one of her most intriguing brooches for the occasion.

On Wednesday, July 16, the Princess Royal arrived at Horse Guards Parade to see “Heroes: A Military Musical Spectacular,” which brought together musicians from the Massed Bands of The Household Division, the Band of the Household Cavalry, the Duchess of Edinburgh’s String Orchestra, the Household Division Contemporary Band, the Massed Pipes and Drums and Army Cadet Force, and the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The show included rock and pop selections performed alongside traditional military music.

For the occasion, Anne wore a blue dress with a subtle paisley print, paired with jewelry set with diamonds, sapphires, and pearls.

Anne fastened a three-row pearl necklace around her neck. These are the iconic pearls that her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, wore almost daily for royal engagements, especially during the later decades of her reign. The necklace, commissioned by the late Queen in 1952, features three rows of family pearls in a graduated arrangement, fastened with a diamond clasp.

With the necklace, Anne wore a pair of diamond, sapphire, and pearl drop earrings that have been in her jewelry box for many years, as well as a large diamond and sapphire cluster brooch. The brooch features a central sapphire surrounded by twelve round diamonds.

The brooch has also been in Anne’s jewelry box for many years. The photograph above shows her wearing it 25 years ago, in 2000, for one of her 50th birthday celebrations. The brooch bears a striking visual resemblance to the brooch given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria as a wedding present in 1840, but it’s a separate piece. It’s likely that Anne’s sapphire cluster brooch is a copy of Prince Albert’s brooch, made during his lifetime either for Queen Victoria or for one of their daughters. (I sifted through much of the available evidence regarding the copy in an earlier article.)

On at least one occasion—that aforementioned 50th birthday celebration given in Anne’s honor at Windsor Castle in 2000—the two brooches appeared side by side. For that party, Anne wore her sapphire brooch, and her mother wore the original Albert Brooch. Anne also wore another special sapphire jewel: a sapphire, diamond, and pearl choker necklace that belonged to Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia.

Here’s one more look at Anne wearing her sapphire cluster brooch at last week’s military musical spectacular. She’s also wearing another pin just above the sapphire and diamond brooch. It’s the badge of the Blues and Royals, a regiment that is part of the Household Cavalry, whose band was one of the ones performing in the concert.