The British Royals Sparkle for the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were joined by numerous family members at St. James’s Palace for the presentation of education prizes on Tuesday, and there were some fascinating pieces of royal jewelry worn for the occasion.

The King and Queen presented the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education on Tuesday at St. James’s Palace, recognizing outstanding work by British colleges and universities that, per the official prize description, “shows quality and innovation and delivers real benefit to the wider world and public through education and training.” The prizes, originally launched to celebrate the late Queen’s Ruby Jubilee, have been awarded biennially since 1994.

For the occasion, Queen Camilla wore a favorite navy blue dress with a scalloped design detail, paired with black boots.

Appropriately, she accessorized with jewelry pieces that belonged to the late Queen: a pair of diamond clip brooches from Cartier. These ivy leaf clips come from the Greville Bequest. They were made for Dame Margaret Greville in stages, with the first brooch made in the 1920s and the second in 1937.

Mrs. Greville left the brooches to the Queen Mother in 1942. Five years later, in 1947, she gave them to her elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth, as a 21st birthday present. Here, a young Princess Elizabeth wears the brooches—one on her jacket, the other on her hat—during a visit to Washington, D.C. in 1951.

Elizabeth became Queen just a few months later. (The clips, in fact, were the last pieces of jewelry she was photographed wearing before her accession.) She kept the brooches in her collection and wore them regularly for the 70 years that followed. We even saw her wear them more than once during the last year of her life, including an appearance in a portrait released to mark the 70th anniversary of her accession.

Queen Camilla has worn the brooches several times in recent years. She wore them for the first time in public for a memorial service in honor of the late King Constantine II of Greece in February 2024, and she also brought them out for Christmas at Sandringham that year. For this week’s reception, she wore the brooches together on one side of her neckline, while on previous occasions she has pinned them on either side of her collars.

The King and Queen were joined for the reception by the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. (The Duke of Edinburgh was scheduled to be present but had to cancel after coming down with a cold; his Duchess is currently in Africa.) For the occasion, Princess Anne wore a navy and cream skirt suit with a bright red shawl.

Anne gleamed in golden jewelry for the awards presentation and the reception that followed, including earrings with kite-shaped gold pendants and a gold necklace.

Also wearing red was the Duchess of Gloucester, who paired her red dress and matching jacket with gold jewelry pieces as well.

Birgitte wore small gold hoop earrings and layered gold necklaces, plus a pin brooch on her collar with a trio of interesting pendants.

Here’s a slightly better look at the trio of charms, which include a gold charm with a green gemstone center, a gold and turquoise bauble, and a petite four-leaf clover pendant.

Before I wrap up today’s article, a quick reminder for tomorrow. As always, paid subscribers to Hidden Gems will have full access to tomorrow’s article, both in your inboxes and on the Substack website or app. I’m continuing my year-long series on royal tiaras from the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth II with a deep-dive on important moments in the history of Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara. See you there!