03 May 2015

Church at Sandringham

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended church at Sandringham, Norfolk.
The Cambridge family is supposed to be heading to Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home, next, so perhaps Her Maj and the DoE will stick around to see their new great-granddaughter over there. In the article linked above you can see that she's sporting one of her most sentimental family brooches, the Flower Basket, also worn to Prince George's christening. I did not realize until this entry that this is our first recorded appearance in 2015 for the Basket - unusual for one that usually ends up on the favorites list at the end of the year.


Photo: via Twitter
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02 May 2015

The Royal Lancers Amalgamation Parade

The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, attended the Amalgamation Parade of The Queen's Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) to form The Royal Lancers at Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire. Also in attendance was The Duke of York, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief.
Well of course she wore pink on the day she got a new great-granddaughter. And there really is something so delicious to me about this one day, out of all the days, being the one on which she wears a skull and crossbones brooch.

I mean, sure, it's a regimental badge and therefore a must for an occasion like this, but I'm going to ignore that and keep giggling. I like to think she would have opted for the cheekily cheery combo of pink and skulls whether Baby Cambridge was a girl or a boy. Somebody get her a pink Alexander McQueen skull scarf, let's go all out!

I could do without this hat, though. Not my favorite shape, and not improved by being a bit more squat and a bit more see-through than the others. Focus on the rest of the pink.


Photos:via Getty Images
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The Royal Lancers Badges

When you see The Queen wearing a brooch in a design that seems far outside her usual taste, there's a fair chance it's a badge of some sort. And that's possibly never more true than when it comes to a skull and crossbones motif!
Badge illustration
In the case of the badge of The Royal Lancers, a skull and crossbones with a banner reading "Or Glory" beneath completes the representation of their motto, "Death or Glory," with two crossed lances with pennants behind.
The Queen wore a version of the badge for the May 2, 2015 Amalgamation Parade marking the formation of The Royal Lancers from the combination of The Queen's Royal Lancers and 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's). The brooch was listed on The Queen's list of official gifts from 2015 as a diamanté brooch from The Queen's Royal Lancers.

In past engagements with The Queen's Royal Lancers, pre-amalgamation, a larger brooch was worn:
This large version bears the same symbols with an additional circle around, and is set in gold with diamonds and rubies or other white/red stones, with a blue enamel banner. The Queen was Colonel-in-Chief of The Queen's Royal Lancers, and is Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers as well. As with the rest of her military badges, she wears these brooches when on engagements specifically pertaining to the regiment.

Appearances:
5 April 2017: Royal Lancers Guidon Presentation
2 May 2015: The Royal Lancers Amalgamation Parade

Photos: British Army and via Getty Images
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30 April 2015

Welsh Guards Badges

The Welsh Guards presented The Queen, their Colonel-in-Chief, with a platinum and diamond brooch in the shape of a leek, which is both the form of their cap badge and the national emblem of Wales. This is not the only brooch in her collection that represents the regiment, as it is also present in her larger Guards' Badge.
Example of the cap badge. The brooches use the central leek only.
And The Queen's version isn't the only leek badge in the royal family, either. While still married to Prince Charles, the late Diana, Princess of Wales wore a version that also appears to have been set in diamonds (you can see more views at the Princess Diana Remembered site).
And the same can be said for The Prince of Wales' current wife, The Duchess of Cornwall, who also has a leek badge. Hers is in gold and also looks to be diamond-set. The similarities make it difficult to tell the brooches apart, but I believe that the version worn by Diana is different from that worn by Camilla. They are both different from the larger brooch worn by The Queen, as witnessed when both The Queen and The Duchess wore theirs on the same day.
The Queen tends to wear her brooch strictly for events directly pertaining to the Welsh Guards, as she uses most of her badges. The Duchess of Cornwall, on the other hand, has worn hers at events for the regiment, but also for events in or pertaining to Wales in general, such as appearances on St. David's Day or the opening of the Welsh Assembly.

Appearances:
7 July 2016: Visit to Wales (Duchess of Cornwall)
30 April 2015: Welsh Guards New Colours Presentation (Queen and Duchess of Cornwall)

Photos: via Getty Images and Wikimedia Commons/British Army

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Welsh Guards New Colours Presentation

The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, presented New Colours to the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards and marked the regiment's centenary year at Windsor Castle. Also present were The Prince of Wales, Colonel of the Regiment, The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Duchess of Cornwall.
Ah! I love shooting two birds with one stone: these are new-to-the-blog badges for both The Queen and The Duchess, both representing the Welsh Guards. (And seeing them both worn at once settles the question of whether Her Maj was loaning her brooch to Camilla. I know it's been weighing heavily on your minds.)

With our new focus on Camilla's gems, let me tell you that she is also wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp, and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings.


Photos: Pool via Getty Images
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29 April 2015

Audience at Windsor Castle

The Queen presented American businessman John Mars with the insignia of an Honorary Knight Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire during an audience at Windsor Castle.
A service and reception for the Royal Victorian Order was held yesterday but much to my dismay, it has remained private. Instead, we get a glimpse of Her Maj dressing to coordinate with her krazy karpet, in Windsor Castle mode with simple pearl stud earrings and her black strap watch. (And in case you were wondering, John Mars - our honorary knight here - is indeed Mars as in the candy.)


Photo: WPA Pool via Getty Images
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28 April 2015

The Duchess of Cornwall's Everyday Bracelets

The Duchess of Cornwall can usually be seen wearing a selection of bracelets at her daytime engagements, often piling up more than one. In this post, we have just a few of her more frequently selected everyday bracelets:

Gold Charm Bracelet 
One of the more distinctive bracelets she wears is a charm bracelet of gold links with a variety of golden charms. In the picture above, you can see one of the charms is a gold disk engraved with 30.12.09, which is the date of birth for her twin grandsons Gus and Louis, so it's a good bet that the rest of the charms are similarly personal in nature. She doesn't wear this every day, but she's apparently a big fan of charm bracelets; The Duchess of Cambridge wears a similar gold bracelet with a gold disk charm that is thought to have been a gift from Camilla.

Cross and Eye Chain Bracelet
Also seen in the above photograph, a thin golden chain with an eye at one station and a sideways cross at another is also a current favorite. The Duchess has also added a small nazar, an amulet said to protect against the evil eye, to the chain. You can often spot it dangling beneath the rest of her bracelets (seen below).

Gold Chain Bracelets with Multi-Color Stones
The Duchess has two identical bracelets featuring thick gold chain links connecting a series of gold-set oval semi-precious stones in a variety of colors and types. She wears one or both at a time, and they have become favorites in recent years.

Twisted Metal Bangle
This bangle bracelet with a twist of mixed color metals was listed in a Hello! magazine feature as a favorite for everything from evening events to tennis playing, and she continues to wear it for day events today.

And these are just a few of the options most often spotted. Bracelets are part of her everyday "uniform", and she wears her favorites often enough that we won't catalog individual appearances here.

Photos: via Getty Images
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