The Duchess of Gloucester’s VJ Day Pearls and Diamonds

Several more members of the British royal family joined in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of VJ Day last week, including the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who focused their attention on prisoners of war during the conflict.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester headed to Norfolk on Friday for a special service of commemoration at Norwich Cathedral. The service honored, per the BBC, the “courage and sacrifice of those who served in the Far East during World War II.” The BBC noted, “Regiments from East Anglia were among those who suffered in the prisoner of war camps before and after victory was declared over Japan on 15 August 1945.”

The Duke of Gloucester was among those who laid a wreath during the service. Afterward, the Duke and Duchess attended a reception where they spoke with civilians who had been interned during the war, family members of prisoners of war, and representatives of the National Far East Prisoners of War Fellowship Welfare Remembrance Association. The Duke is the patron of the association.

The Gloucesters also attended a second remembrance event on Friday: a service commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the war at St. Mary’s Church in Bury St. Edmunds.

For both events, the Duchess wore an elegant white tweed skirt suit with black accents, paired with black accessories. She wore the same outfit earlier this year for Trooping the Colour. Her jewelry for the day was properly pared back: a single row of round white pearls and elegant diamond and pearl drop earrings.

Birgitte has worn this combination of jewelry pieces before for moments of remembrance. Above, she wears the necklace and earrings for the Belgian Cenotaph Parade in London in July 2024.

Here’s one more look at the Duchess wearing the pearls and diamonds in Bury St. Edmunds for the second service of remembrance on Friday. St. Mary’s Church is the home of the chapel of the Royal Anglian Regiment, for whom the Duke serves as Colonel-in-Chief.