Queen Camilla has been spotted often over the past two decades wearing a fascinating diamond brooch with naval connections—and now, thanks to an upcoming auction, we’ve learned more about its provenance.
Queen Camilla has worn this Diamond Chelengk Brooch, which has interesting links to British naval history, for public occasions for many years. Above, she wears the brooch to celebrate the return of HMS Prince of Wales in December 2025. We’ve long noted the similarities between the brooch and the famous diamond chelengk presented to Admiral Lord Nelson, and the auction of a matching piece has clarified the connection and revealed more about the provenance of Camilla’s version.
One of our lovely readers, Niall, tipped me off to an upcoming auction at Noonans in London featuring a twin to Camilla’s chelengk brooch. On September 22, the auction house will sell the brooch above, which belonged to Gabriella Di Nora, partner of the late philanthropist Sir Donald Gosling.
The auction notes reveal that Sir Donald commissioned two matching brooches. This one was given to Ms. Di Nora. The second was presented to Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, as a wedding present in 2005. Both brooches are made of 18k gold and set with brilliant-cut diamonds.
The twin Gosling chelengk brooches were inspired by the famous example presented to Lord Nelson by the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Selim III, after the British victory over the French in the Battle of the Nile in 1798. The chelengk is an aigrette, a jeweled representation of the feathers that the Ottomans attached to their turbans as a symbol of bravery. Nelson appropriately wore his chelengk on his hat.
In 1929, a fundraising appeal was mounted to keep Nelson’s original chelengk in Britain. Lady Barclay supplied the funds, designating the chelengk as a gift to the nation. It was placed in the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich—where, in 1951, it was sadly stolen and never recovered. Today, a replica of the chelengk, pictured above, is on display at the museum.
Here’s another look at Gabriella Di Nora’s chelengk, which is an identical twin of the one owned by Queen Camilla. Her partner, Sir Donald Gosling, served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Later, he co-founded the National Car Parks business, amassing a fortune that he used to support military causes through the Gosling Foundation. In 2012, he donated £25 million to preserve Lord Nelson’s famous ship, HMS Victory.
In recognition of his philanthropic work and his dedication to the Royal Navy, he was given the honorary role of Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom in the spring of 2012. A few weeks earlier, he and Gabriella attended the ceremony marking the official reopening of Kensington Palace following a renovation project. Gabriella, pictured here wearing a camel-colored jacket, wore her chelengk brooch for the occasion.
The revelation of the connections between Queen Camilla’s Chelengk Brooch and Sir Donald Gosling helps to explain why she chose the brooch to wear for his memorial service at Westminster Abbey in December 2019.
Before I leave you today, here’s a preview of what’s coming this weekend. I’m continuing the annual September celebration of sapphires over at Hidden Gems tomorrow. Paid subscribers will have full access to the story behind this fabulous diamond and sapphire parure, which I saw first-hand at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in April. And on Sunday, I’ll be sending out my weekly digest newsletter. Be sure to sign up here to get that (free!) handy collection of content, with my book of the week recommendation, in your inbox!
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