The Duchess of Cornwall's 70th Birthday Portrait

A new portrait of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall by Mario Testino was released to mark The Duchess' 70th birthday on July 17th.

Mario Testino/Clarence House

If Camilla collected any serious gems for her milestone birthday, none were on show for her official birthday portrait (which, to be fair, was taken back in May). The portrait's very much a reflection of her day-to-day jewel style, though, showing her favorite earrings and a favorite selection from her collection of signature pearl chokers. I'm sure she was plenty bedecked for her private birthday party at Highgrove on Saturday, anyway.

Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings
Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp

I'll just be over here waiting for a portrait of these two in their full gala splendor to be released. Waiting and waiting some more...

Flashback: Christmas Broadcasts

The Queen's annual Christmas message, broadcast on Christmas Day, is a tradition dating back to George V. Her first address was a simple radio broadcast from Sandringham in 1952; by 2013, she was filming her television address in 3D for the first time. Though our flashback does not include every year, there is only one year in which there was no Christmas message: 1969, when the documentary Royal Family was shown instead.

This flashback focuses primarily on the brooches worn by the Queen, though there is variety in necklaces and earrings here too (particularly in the earlier years). She's worn many different brooches over the years, but the most popular ones are also pretty popular elsewhere: the Pearl Trefoil, Cambridge Pearl Pendant, and Cullinan V Brooches.

1952: Sapphire Chrysanthemum

1953: No brooch, but the South African Necklace and Bracelet and Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings (she was broadcasting from New Zealand while on her post-Coronation tour)

1957: No brooch

1958: No brooch

1960: True Lover's Knot

1961: No brooch

1962: True Lover's Knot

1966: Frosted Sunflower

1967: Australian Wattle

1970: New Zealand Fern

1971: Cambridge Pearl Pendant

1972: No brooch

1975: Cullinan V
1976: Australian Wattle
1977: Modern Ruby 
1978: Cambridge Pearl Pendant
1980: Scroll Cambridge Emerald
1981: Cullinan V
1982: Jardine Star
1983: Diamond and Gold Rose
1984: Teck Corsage
1985: Pearl Trefoil
1986: Grima Ruby
1987: Prince Albert's Sapphire

1988: Flower Basket
1989: No brooch
1990: Sapphire and Ruby Flower Spray
1991: Gold Lace Work
1992: Pearl Trefoil
1993: Amethyst Bouquet
1994: Empress Marie Feodorovna's Sapphire
1995: Jardine Star
1996: Cambridge Pearl Pendant
1997: Pearl Trefoil
1998: Williamson Diamond
1999: Cullinan V

2000: Pearl Trefoil
2001: Empress Marie Feodorovna's Sapphire
2002: Centenary Rose
2003: No brooch
2004: Cambridge Pearl Pendant
2005: Pearl Trefoil
2006: Flower Basket
2007: Grima Ruby
2008: Cullinan V
2009: Queen Victoria's 11 Pearl
2010: Frosted Sunflower
2011: Flame Lily
2012: Cambridge Pearl Pendant

2013: Flower Basket
2014: Cambridge Pearl Pendant

In current events... The Queen arrived at Sandringham for her Christmas break, sporting a lovely coat but no brooch. On Sunday, she went to church and gave the Small Pink and Diamond Brooch yet another outing.

And a programming note... Posts regarding this year's Christmas church and Christmas message appearances will be up late on the 26th, due to the holiday. (I'm sure if there's anything particularly interesting, I'll tweet it first!) Happy holidays, all!

Note: My thanks to the contributors in this thread at the Alexander Palace Time Machine forum, which was a most helpful reference in putting this flashback together. Many of these messages have been uploaded on YouTube, which was also a great help.

Photos: PA/BBC/Getty Images/YouTube