10 November 2015

Investiture and Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen held an Investiture at Buckingham Palace. She also received the Governor of Victoria for a private audience.
Why yes, that is Benedict Cumberbatch picking up his CBE from a Frosted Sunflower-bedecked Queen. Video of the ceremony below, and his remarks outside can be found in the link above for you interested parties:
The Queen wore the same thing for her audience today, click here for those pictures.


Photos:5 News screencap
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08 November 2015

Remembrance Sunday

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by The King and Queen of the Netherlands and other members of the Royal Family, attended the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph, London. The service honors those that have died in armed conflicts.
As she does each year, The Queen selected one of her of diamond bow brooches to fasten her poppies for today's service at the Cenotaph. Queen Victoria's Brooch is actually not a regular selection here, because she often goes for one of the larger bow options. She wore the larger set of Queen Mary's diamond and pearl earrings, which is also not a usual selection for this event.
Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright
Three Strand Pearl Necklace




Also unusual: The Queen invited another monarch to the ceremony. King Willem-Alexander was invited to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.

Het Koninklijk Huis Facebook / BBC screencap
 The note, signed by both King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, says: "In remembrance of the British men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. The Kingdom of the Netherlands will be forever grateful for the British role in its liberation."

Queen Máxima cut a striking figure in her large black hat as she joined Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duchess of Cambridge, and The Countess of Wessex to watch the ceremony from the balcony above. (We'll talk more about this coat business tomorrow on the other blog.)


On another balcony, Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra of Kent looked on. The Duchess and Princess Alexandra both wore military badges.

Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright
In another first for the day, Prince Harry laid his own wreath. Though Harry has laid a wreath on behalf of his father in the past, this was the first time he has done so in his own right. He joined The Duke of York and The Duke of Cambridge, above.

Ministry of Defence/Crown Copyright
Apart from The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, other members of the Royal Family laid wreaths in groups this year to help shorten the ceremony, after discussions about cutting down the amount of time veterans are required to stand during the event. Above, The Duke of Kent, The Princess Royal, and The Earl of Wessex give their salutes together after placing their wreaths.

And finally, after the Cenotaph ceremony, Prince William took the veterans' salute at Horse Guards Parade (another first, I believe).


For more on Remembrance Sunday: BBC article and video, Zimbio gallery.


Photos:BBC video screencaps, unless otherwise noted
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07 November 2015

Festival of Remembrance

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, accompanied by other members of the Royal Family, attended the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
I love when The Queen uses the Festival of Remembrance as a chance to wear a rare jewel, because it feels like an extra special tribute. She delivered this year with Queen Alexandra's Wedding Brooch, which reappeared in 2014 after not being seen for over forty years. She also wore the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings for the first time in a long time; they were last seen loaned to The Countess of Wessex. Adding to her pearl look were a double strand of large pearls, and her Pearl Evening Watch (which looks like it has shorter fringes around the face this time, but that could just be the angle). Her Majesty also wore a few additional diamond rings, as she often does in the evening.
BBC screencap

Engagement and Wedding Rings 
Diamond Rings


BBC screencap
This was the first appearance at the Festival of Remembrance for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a welcome addition to the royal party with The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall currently in New Zealand.


Your requisite fashion notes: The Duchess of Cambridge wore black Dolce & Gabbana lace with a crystal poppy pin. The Countess of Wessex wore Roksanda Ilincic with a poppy clutch from Lulu Guinness and the badge of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, of which she is Colonel-in-Chief, and her own crystal poppy pin. The Buckley London poppy brooches worn by both royal ladies help support the Royal British Legion, so I'm always happy to see them given a little extra royal publicity.

BBC screencap
In addition to The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and The Earl and Countess of Wessex, a long roster of family members were present: The Duke of York, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and Princess Alexandra of Kent.

Royal British Legion Facebook
For a gallery with more of the Royal Family, see Zimbio here. For a gallery with more from the festival itself, see the Royal British Legion Facebook here.
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06 November 2015

The Queen Mother's Diamond Thistle Brooch

The Queen Mother's Diamond Thistle Brooch
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was fond of perching brooches on her hats, particularly in her earlier years. In the World War II era, she often did this with the diamond Maple Leaf Brooch that we know today from multiple royal Canadian tours. Another favorite from the same time period was this diamond brooch with two thistles, the emblem of Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth wearing the brooch on her hat, 1944
Photo: Malindine E G (Capt), War Office official photographer/Imperial War Museum/Crown Copyright
On The Queen, we usually see thistle brooches in Scotland and not frequently outside of Scottish engagements. But her mother seems to have taken a different view, at least in some cases; just as Queen Elizabeth did not restrict her use of the Maple Leaf Brooch to Canadian occasions, she did not restrict her use of the Diamond Thistle Brooch for Scottish occasions.
The Duchess of Cornwall
Photo: Governor-General of New Zealand Twitter/Crown Copyright
We can assume this brooch passed to The Queen when her mother died in 2002. The Queen already has a selection of thistle brooches at her disposal (this one, for example, or this one), so she passed on the thistle love by loaning it to The Duchess of Cornwall. The Duchess debuted the brooch on a trip to New Zealand in 2015, and I hope we'll see it at a broader range of engagements in the future. I can't help but think it is the prettiest thistle brooch I've seen from the royal vaults, and I would love to see it more frequently.

Appearances:
5 November 2015: Visit to New Zealand
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05 November 2015

Imjin Barracks Visit

The Queen visited several organizations including the Defence Business Services, NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre, and the Medal Office at Imjin Barracks, Gloucester.
Ministry of Defence / Crown Copyright
For more: MOD Blog report, BBC report, Express report.
Well, this is certainly a bold background for the Grima Ruby Brooch, which is already pretty bold on its own. Maybe a little too much?


Photos:via MOD and Getty Images
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04 November 2015

Luncheon for The President of Kazakhstan

The Queen, with The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duke of York, welcomed The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, to Buckingham Palace during his official visit to the United Kingdom. The President was accompanied by his daughter, Deputy Prime Minister Dariga Nazarbayeva.
This visit is not without its controversy, but sticking strictly to our wheelhouse, I was thrilled to see this brooch again. Thanks to some lovely readers, I've recently been able to update the entry for the Gold Filigree Brooch and rename it, because we've identified its provenance: a Diamond Jubilee present from Singapore! Click the brooch name below to read more.


Photos:via Getty Images and ITNSource video screencap
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02 November 2015

Flashback: Visit to Malta, 1967

Malta is a place with special personal significance for The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, thanks to long periods spent on the island between 1949 and 1951, when The Duke was stationed there with the Royal Navy and their life was less "royal" and more "normal". They've visited the country several times since.

When she visited in November 1967, she was the Queen of Malta, Malta having maintained her as head of state after gaining independence from Britain in 1964. (This lasted until 1974, when they became a republic.)

Video: The Queen's visit highlights
Many of the jewels brought along for the trip were pretty standard state visit picks, such as the Dorset Bow Brooch and the Cullinan V Brooch (worn with a sparkling badge underneath), but there were also some interesting and relatively new pieces at play.

We don't know much about the Diamond and Gold Rose Brooch, but this 1967 trip is one of its early - if not the earliest - appearances on The Queen. It seems it was only scarcely used until a burst of outings around 2012.

The Queen wore her Brazilian Aquamarine Parure on this trip, at a time when it looked slightly different - she wouldn't have the tiara modified to its current format until 1971. (She was also wearing her Garter insignia and Royal Family Orders, of course.)

A theater performance also signaled where The Queen was at in terms of her personal jewelry acquisitions: the Baring Ruby Necklace, itself acquired only three years prior, is often paired with the Burmese Ruby Tiara, but The Queen would not commission that ruby diadem until 1973. She wore it here with the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, her Art Deco Diamond and Ruby Bracelet, and Queen Mary's Ruby Cluster Earrings.

She also selected one of her favorite sparkling suites of jewelry to open Malta's parliament in grand style: Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara, the Greville Chandelier Earrings, the George VI Festoon Necklace, and Queen Mary's Chain-Link Bracelet.

The Kokoshnik also went for a spin on the dance floor during one of the trip's evening events, paired with the Antique Girandole Earrings, the Coronation Necklace, and Queen Victoria's Bracelet, completing this short but sparkly visit.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's next trip to Malta is fast approaching: they'll travel there in late November for the 2015 session of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will also be along for the ride.

Photos: via British Pathe video screencaps and Getty Images
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