28 February 2014

Lunch at Chequers

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh had lunch at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country retreat.
Completing the week with yet another old favorite brooch! (And she does look like she's trapped in an overly long house tour, which is hilarious. We've all been there...)

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27 February 2014

Queen's Anniversary Prizes and an Audience

The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, presented The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education at Buckingham Palace, followed by a reception.
A two brooch day! A pair of aquamarine clips...

Also today, the Queen received German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a private audience at Buckingham Palace. 
Click here for video from ITNSource.
...and a pearl pendant, completing a day of old faithfuls.


Photo: ITN
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26 February 2014

Large Diamond Solitaire Earrings

The Queen has more than one option in her collection for earrings composed of one large, single diamond each. I find that they can be hard to distinguish when in use, so we will group them together here.

Queen Victoria's Diamond Stud Earrings 
Queen Victoria's Stud Earrings, shown on (left to right) Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, the Queen
These two large, perfectly matched diamonds were set as stud earrings by Queen Victoria, according to Leslie Field in The Queen's Jewels. The earrings are today worn by the Queen after passing down from queen to queen after Victoria.

Queen Mary's Diamond Collet Earrings 
Queen Mary, the Queen
Queen Mary, who tended to avoid long, dangly earrings, used two of the round diamond collets from the Coronation Necklace to create a pair of earrings, according to Hugh Roberts in The Queen's Diamonds. These may be the pair shown above, though again it is impossible to say for sure.

This being a simple design, it is always possible that more examples exist.

Appearances:
8 March 2018: Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Dinner
2005: The Garter Service

Photos: Leslie Field/Queen Elizabeth II/Royal Collection/AFP
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25 February 2014

Audiences at Buckingham Palace

The Queen held audiences at Buckingham Palace.

It's seeming like a sapphire year so far, isn't it? I'm on board.

Photo: PA
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19 February 2014

Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh received the Governor General designate of Australia and his wife at Buckingham Palace.
Not surprising based on her recent audiences with Commonwealth figures, but still I'm a little disappointed we didn't get one of the brooches with a direct Australia connection! Instead, we have the return of a standard favorite, the Flower Basket Brooch. (Click here for a bigger picture.)

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17 February 2014

Reception for the Dramatic Arts

The Queen, Patron, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace together with other members of the Royal Family.

A treat from the Queen tonight, Albert's sapphire making its first appearance of the year! Yum. And my second favorite thing about the evening (from this article):
"Actress Ms Horrocks asked the Queen about the honorary BAFTA she was given in April last year and the monarch replied that she saw it all the time. 'I keep it on the TV,' she said."
Now, who can we get to ask her what she did with the set of London 2012 Olympic medals she was given, hmm?


Photos:WPA Pool/Getty
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15 February 2014

The Women of Hampshire Brooch

The Women of Hampshire Brooch
This diamond and pearl brooch, which was originally intended to be used as a pendant, was Queen Mary's wedding gift from the Women of Hampshire in 1893. A committee chaired by the Duchess of Wellington raised £775 and selected this pendant from Garrard. The piece features a large brilliant with a foliate spray above and three bell flower pendants below - thanks to those flowers, this is often referred to as the Harebell Brooch. Two pear-shaped diamonds and one baroque pearl hang from the flowers; they are all removable. (Hugh Roberts notes that, as with the Richmond Brooch, the pearl here was at one point in time used for the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, but was later returned.)
Queen Mary, left, and the Queen
Queen Mary used the pendant jewel as a brooch, and that is how it is used today. It passed to the Queen on her grandmother's death in 1953, and she wears it only occasionally.

Appearances:
26 February 2019: Investiture at Buckingham Palace
24 October 2018: State Visit from The Netherlands, Farewell, and Audience
7 March 2018: Visit from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
8 February 2018: Audience at Buckingham Palace
26 March 2014: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
14 February 2014: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
1961: Commonwealth Visit to India and Pakistan

Photos: Leslie Field/Royal Collection/IDBS/Keystone
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