Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine Wear Exquisite State Visit Brooches in Windsor

On Wednesday, the King and Queen and the Prince and Princess of Wales gathered in Windsor for the start of the American state visit to Britain, and both Queen Camilla and Princess Catherine wore special heirloom brooches for the welcome ceremony.

Queen Camilla arrived for the start of the visit wearing a familiar royal blue coat and hat. The pieces come from two of Camilla’s go-to designers: Fiona Clare made the coat, and Philip Treacy made the hat.

With the ensemble, Camilla wore jewelry set with sapphires and diamonds. Her earrings, a modern pair of sapphire and diamond sunburst clips, have been part of her jewelry collection since their debut in Guernsey in 2024. The brooch, though, is a royal heirloom. The stunning sapphire and diamond cluster has its roots in the jewelry box of Queen Alexandra’s sister, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia.

Here’s a closer look at the splendid nineteenth-century jewel from a previous outing. You’ll note that the large, faceted oval sapphire in the center of the piece is surrounded by a delicate layer of gold filigree work as well as a halo of spectacular round brilliants.

Empress Marie Feodorovna, who was born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, was the wife of Emperor Alexander III and the mother of Emperor Nicholas II. She had a remarkable collection of imperial jewels, including some truly stunning sapphires. This famous portrait of her in full court dress depicts her wearing the spectacular jewels.

After the revolution, the Dowager Empress managed to keep some of her jewelry with her as she fled Russia. When she died in 1928, her daughters decided to sell some of the pieces. A collection of the jewels, including the sapphire and diamond brooch, was purchased by Queen Mary, who was married to the Empress’s nephew, King George V. You can see her wearing the brooch on the bodice of her gown in this portrait taken during the 1930s.

Later, the brooch became a particular favorite of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who wore it faithfully for more than half a century. In this picture, she wears the brooch with diamonds and pearls at Royal Ascot in June 1996.

The brooch passed to Queen Elizabeth II when the Queen Mother died in 2002. The late monarch wore the brooch on a handful of occasions, perhaps most notably during an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in April 2014.

Now, the brooch is part of the collection that belongs to King Charles III. Queen Camilla made her public debut in the brooch at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London in March 2023.

She continues to wear the brooch regularly now—no surprise, as she tends to have affection for the same pieces that were loved for many years by the Queen Mother. Above, Camilla wears the brooch for the start of the South Korean state visit to Britain in 2023.

Queen Camilla wasn’t the only one wearing a special brooch during Wednesday’s welcome ceremony. The Princess of Wales arrived for the proceedings in Windsor wearing antique diamonds with a dark cranberry ensemble: a dress by Emilia Wickstead, a hat from Jane Taylor, and a Chanel handbag.

She accessorized with a pair of diamond and ruby cluster drop earrings. We recently saw her wear this pair for the VE Day procession in London in June. On that occasion, she also wore a coordinating ruby and diamond cluster pendant. Kate is wearing a necklace here, but the pendant appears to be caught under the edge of her neckline. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the same ruby one from the VE Day appearance as well.

The princess also pinned a special family heirloom brooch to her dress for the occasion: Queen Alexandra’s Three Feathers Brooch, which is traditionally worn by the woman who is married to the Prince of Wales.

Here’s a closer look at the brooch. The petite jewel is designed to mimic the traditional heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales, which features a trio of ostrich feathers encircled by a gold coronet. Ribbons below the feathers bear the traditional German-language motto of the prince, “Ich dien,” which means “I serve.” With this brooch, the emblem is surrounded by an impressive cluster of diamonds, accented by tiny rubies and emeralds. An emerald pendant drop can be worn to complete the piece, which can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant on a necklace.

The piece was made in 1863 by Garrard as a wedding gift for Princess Alexandra of Denmark, who married the Prince of Wales that March in Windsor. The couple dominated British high society as the Prince and Princess of Wales for decades before becoming King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1901.

Here’s a look at an illustration of the brooch, as well as the other pieces from the suite, made at the time of its creation. The set includes the Three Feathers Brooch, which can be worn with or without a lovely emerald pendant drop, a large Leek Brooch, also with a pendant emerald, and a pair of emerald earrings. The jewels, which are set in Merionethshire gold, were purchased by a committee of women, the Ladies of North Wales, with funds raised by subscription.

The suite of jewels was presented personally to Edward and Alexandra on June 13, 1863, by the Countess of Powis, Lady Lucy Herbert, Lady Louisa Pennant, Lady Williams Wynn, the Hon. Mrs. Stanley, Mrs. Wynne, and Mrs. William Gladstone. Newspaper reports note that Alexandra “was graciously pleased to express her admiration of the jewels.”

The entire Ladies of North Wales suite remains in the British royal jewelry collection today. The large leek brooch was most recently worn by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who memorably chose it for the investiture of the Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) in 1969.

The Three Feathers Brooch, though, has largely been worn by the women who have been married to Princes of Wales over the last half century. Diana wore the jewel often during her marriage, usually as a pendant on a necklace. Above, she wears it without its emerald pendant; on other occasions, she added the pendant to the piece.

Queen Camilla wore the jewel just once after marrying the Prince of Wales in 2005. She pinned the Three Feathers Brooch with its emerald pendant to her jacket for a film premiere in the autumn of 2006, pairing it with emerald earrings that appear to be the original earrings from the Ladies of North Wales Suite. (Converted to clips? I wonder.)

In November 2022, two months after becoming Princess of Wales, Catherine made her public debut in the Three Feathers Brooch. She wore the jewel with its emerald pendant to welcome the President of South Africa to London for a state visit.

We’ve also seen Kate wear the Three Feathers Brooch without the emerald pendant. She wore the diamond cluster portion solo for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in March 2023, and again today for the start of the American state visit.

Queen Camilla received a new jewel from the presidential couple as part of the official gift exchange on Wednesday. The piece is a Tiffany & Co. flower brooch made of eighteen-carat yellow gold and set with diamonds and rubies. Camilla pinned the brooch on her jacket for this afternoon’s Beating Retreat ceremony at Windsor Castle.

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