05 June 2014

State Visit to France, Arrival

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris for the beginning of their State Visit to France.
For more: Gallery from Zimbio.
Exciting brooch business: I believe this is the first time we've seen this brooch, the Botswana Flower Brooch, worn in public (please, correct me if I'm wrong). It's delicate, but larger than I thought it would be. A "new" brooch and a good hat is a good start for this visit!

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The Botswana Flower Brooch

The Botswana Flower Brooch
Depicting a spray of sorghum (or millet) with 11 pear shaped diamonds and gold, this delicate brooch was given to the Queen by the President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, during the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The plant is a major crop for Botswana. Though the brooch was exhibited in 2009, I believe its first public outing was not until the 2014 state visit to France.

Appearances:
6 July 2017: Holyrood Week: Highland Spring Factory Visit
13 April 2017: Royal Maundy Service
19 June 2015: Royal Ascot, Day 4
5 June 2014: State Visit to France, Arrival

Photo: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II
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St. Pancras Visit and State Visit Departure

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel at St. Pancras International before departing for Paris via Eurostar for their State Visit to France.
This little brooch just came up in the comments not too long ago, and now here's the Queen to model it properly for you! Delightful. I've said in the past that this one can be a bit twee - indeed, my entry on it notes it might be the cutest brooch in the collection, which is not always a good thing - but when it's worn like this, I'm totally on board. The hat mirroring the composition of the brooch with a navy base and big white bow and the simple white coat as a background are the perfect way to showcase this brooch while keeping it sophisticated. A promising start to the state visit to come!


Photos:ITNSource video/EurostarUK Twitter
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04 June 2014

Royal Marines Beating Retreat

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attended the Royal Marines Beating Retreat. The event traditionally marks the birthday of the Duke of Edinburgh, Captain General Royal Marines, and this year also marks the Royal Marines' 350th anniversary.

For more: A gallery from Zimbio.
Oh, just another week in the life of Her Maj: State Opening of Parliament this morning, some military pomp right here, then tomorrow off for a state visit to France and the D-Day anniversary commemorations, and then back in time for the Derby on Saturday...no problem. Anyway, here she's selected the appropriate badge instead of a decorative brooch, as you might expect.

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The Royal Marines Badge

The Royal Marines Badge (representation and actual)
This badge depicts the crest of the Royal Marines, a globe surrounded by laurels with the Foul Anchor badge of the Lord High Admiral and the motto Per Mare Per Terram ("By Sea By Land") below. Above, a lion and crown and the word Gibraltar to commemorate the capture of Gibraltar. The Queen has a version of the badge to wear as a brooch for related events.

Appearances:
4 June 2014: Royal Marines Beating Retreat

Photos: Getty/Wikimedia/UK Government

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State Opening of Parliament

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, traveled in State to the Palace of Westminster to open the Session of Parliament. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were also in attendance.
Video: The Queen's Speech
Jewel-wise, this was a very standard year for the Queen, with favorites all around. In fact, she wore nearly the exact same combination of pieces last year, with the exception of her bracelet. The bracelet is a four row pearl bracelet with diamond accents, but good views are hard to come by to identify it. Any thoughts?

Today marked the first time the Queen has used the brand new Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which was made in Australia with all sorts of fascinating artifacts included. They've included just about as much history in one transportation vehicle as you can get, it seems. I shall include some links with more at the bottom of the post.

George IV State Diadem (worn arriving and leaving)
Imperial State Crown (worn during the speech)
Queen Victoria's Pearl Drop Earrings
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace
Pearl and Diamond Bracelet, 4 Rows
Pearl Evening Watch
Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter


 This also marked the second year running the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have attended the speech, which I think is a nice nod to continuity and the future. And it means we get a bonus tiara, so no complaints here.
That tiara is of course the Greville Tiara, and she's paired it with her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp and her favorite pearl earrings. Her diamond brooch is a rose brooch given to Queen Mary as a wedding gift and then passed on to the Queen Mother as a wedding gift. Camilla's also wearing the Queen's family order and the Royal Victorian Order.


For more:
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03 June 2014

Buckingham Palace Garden Party and Audiences

The Queen, with other members of the Royal Family, hosted a garden party at Buckingham Palace.
Gotta love a garden party in the pouring rain, right? With 8,000 guests, you're pretty much stuck with the outdoors anyway. The Queen counteracted the gloom in her cheery yellow (this is the outfit she wore to William and Kate's wedding, if it looks familiar) and her favorite brooch. Other family members in attendance were the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the always lovely Princess Alexandra of Kent - see the links above.



Also today, the Queen received the Ambassadors of Bolivia and Liberia at Buckingham Palace.

For more: Gallery from Zimbio.
I think she might be  wearing the wee Greville Scroll Brooch, but with the print of the dress (and everything else going on in the room!) it's hard to tell.

Unidentified Brooch
Engagement and Wedding Rings 


One more thing, of little relevance to jewelry, but here you go: Yesterday, the Queen was spotted riding at Windsor Castle.

Photos: ITNSource video/Getty
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