The British royals headed to the Royal Albert Hall this evening to attend the annual Festival of Remembrance, and the late Queen’s diamonds were among the jewelry pieces worn for the occasion.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla, back from the Caribbean, were joined in the royal box for this year’s Festival of Remembrance by the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal and Sir Timothy Laurence, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
As usual, the men wore business suits with ties for the event, as well as their medals and decorations. The ladies wore dark colors with jewelry suitable for occasions of mourning or remembrance. Here, Charles and Camilla arrive for the Festival.
With her black lace dress, Queen Camilla wore a pair of diamond snowflake earrings. She secured a trio of paper poppies with a major diamond brooch in the shape of a clematis flower.
I initially thought that she might be wearing the Diamond Clematis Brooch that belonged to her late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. The brooch was one of Elizabeth’s 21st birthday presents, and she memorably wore it for her engagement announcement photo call in 1947.
But on closer inspection, I really think that Camilla’s brooch is a different piece, because to me it looks significantly larger than Elizabeth’s clematis flower. The design motif was a popular one during the eighteenth century. For example, this similar diamond clematis brooch was sold at Christie’s in 2007.
The Princess of Wales arrived for the Festival wearing a black-and-white polka dot dress from her wardrobe archives. We previously saw her wear the Alessandra Rich dress for the service of thanksgiving for the life of the late Prince Philip in 2022.
With the dress, she wore the diamond frame earrings that were loaned to her by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Catherine has been wearing these for a decade now. She also used her Irish Guards regimental brooch to secure a silk poppy to her dress. Kate has been Colonel of the Irish Guards since December 2022.
The Princess Royal arrived wearing a black jacket over a black dress with a fringed trim, plus one of her signature patterned silk scarves.
The scarf hid a three-row pearl necklace. (Perhaps the one she inherited from her mother?) Anne also wore her Andrew Grima pearl and gold earrings and used her gold and diamond ribbon brooch to secure three paper poppies. Below that, she pinned the badge of the Festival’s host, the Royal British Legion.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a black dress with a metallic texture for this year’s Festival. Per UFO No More, the dress comes from Alaïa.
On her dress, she pinned the Secret Operations Remembrance Poppy Brooch, which is dedicated to all of the Special Operations Executive agents who flew out of RAF Tempsford. The rest of her jewelry included a new gold choker necklace, diamond earrings, and bracelets from Asprey and Chopard.
The Duchess of Gloucester wore a classic black dress with menswear-inspired tailoring for this year’s Festival. She appears to have worn the same Tempsford Memorial poppy brooch as Sophie. It’s pinned beside the badge of the Adjutant General’s Corps, for whom she serves as Colonel-in-Chief.
She also added pearl and diamond cluster earrings, a pearl necklace, stacked bracelets, and an interesting small pearl and diamond brooch that looks to be shaped like interlocking hearts.
That’s it for tonight’s Remembrance weekend coverage. I’ll see you tomorrow for a look at the meaningful pieces worn on Remembrance Sunday in London.
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