Visit to Bedfordshire

The Queen, Patron of the Zoological Society of London, and The Duke of Edinburgh opened a new center for elephant care at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. They also visited Priory View, an independent living scheme for older residents, during their day of engagements in Bedfordshire.

Embed from Getty Images

For more: Telegraph article, Zimbio gallery.

Here's a bit of an unusual brooch selection: the Daffodil Spray, which might be part of a set of brooches given by The Sultan of Oman, is only on its fourth appearance. (Asking for two amethysts in a row would have been too much, I suppose.)

Royal Family

Any day with a Rachel Trevor Morgan hat + Stewart Parvin coat combo's a good day, anyway.

Daffodil Spray Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Something else to love: The Queen and The Duke feeding bananas to an elephant. It's the little things, you know.

That's Donna the elephant. The Queen also had a chance to check in on Elizabeth the elephant, who was born last year and was named after Her Maj in celebration of her 90th birthday. (Unsurprisingly, HM was very interested in the care of the elephants and quick to compare it to keeping horses.)

Lord Snowdon Memorial Service

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh and Members of the Royal Family, attended a Service of Thanksgiving remembering Lord Snowdon at St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey.

Embed from Getty Images

For more: Zimbio gallery.

It's been over a year since we last saw the Amethyst Bouquet Brooch. It looks perfect with this velvet-trimmed purple ensemble; I may even like it better here than the Kent Amethyst, which was worn when this outfit debuted last year. Good choices all around for this event, purple having been considered a color of half-mourning in eras past.

Amethyst Bouquet Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Embed from Getty Images

Also of sparkly note: Lady Sarah Chatto wore her pearl and diamond wedding earrings, which belonged to her mother. I wouldn't have pegged her to be the one that would get the most use of Princess Margaret's jewels, but she reliably wears some at every royal event she attends, and it's wonderful to see.

Royal Lancers Guidon Presentation

The Queen, Colonel-in-Chief, presented a new Guidon to The Royal Lancers in a ceremony at St. George's Hall, Windsor Castle. The Duke of York, Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, was also in attendance.  
The Queen also added an honorific suffix to the regiment's name to mark her 70th year as its Colonel-in-Chief and in recognition of the regiment's service and loyalty to herself and to her mother, Queen Elizabeth. The regiment will now be known as The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own).

Sgt Rupert Frere RLC/MoD Crown Copyright 2017

For more: Telegraph article and video, Zimbio gallery.

It's Easter Court for The Queen right now, the month or so around Easter she traditionally spends based full time at Windsor Castle. That means public engagements are a little slower, though she was snapped out riding late last month and Prince Philip was seen carriage driving. I'm glad that one of these sparse engagements involved the wearing of a skull and crossbones brooch.

Sgt Rupert Frere RLC/MoD Crown Copyright 2017

Okay, despite the fact that it amuses me greatly to imagine Her Maj owning an entire collection of skull brooches for her personal use, this is obviously a regimental badge. The Royal Lancers gave this diamanté brooch to their Colonel-in-Chief in 2015, and this is the second time we've seen hear wear it.

Royal Lancers Badge

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

The Duchess of Cornwall at a Gala Dinner in Florence

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall attended a gala dinner in Florence, Italy, where The Prince was presented with the Renaissance Man of the Year Award. The couple are on an official visit to the country. 

Clarence House Instagram

For more: Zimbio gallery.

Serious diamond alert! Camilla's Pear Drop Diamond Demi-Parure made another appearance tonight, with a red Anna Valentine dress and a bracelet or watch which is new to me.

Embed from Getty Images

I'm surprised a gown that's not technically full length got the full necklace treatment, only because Cams has proven to be quite fond of using the Pear Drop Diamond Earrings with other things, like her collection of pearl chokers. Surprised but delighted, obviously. Sparkling diamonds and a colorful dress are all we need here.

The Queen Mother's Diamond Flower Earrings

Embed from Getty Images

The Queen Mother wears her Diamond Flower Earrings

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was fond of these earrings, each of which features a central round diamond surrounded by marquise diamond "petals" to create a flower shape. Their origin is not precisely known, although a gift from King George VI or one of the jewels Queen Elizabeth commissioned herself would be the best guesses. They were in her collection for decades, becoming particular favorites in her later years. The earrings were inherited by The Queen in 2002.

Video: The Queen Mother wore the earrings in 1995

The Diamond Flower Earrings illustrate some of the differences between the jewelry selections of The Queen and her mother. These were regular options for daytime wear for Queen Elizabeth, who was even known to wear the Greville Peardrop Earrings for the occasional special day event. But for The Queen, who is so tied to her usual pearl earrings for daytime (and who generally includes pearls for day even when she strays from those), these all-diamond earrings are strictly an evening option.

Embed from Getty Images

The Queen wears the Diamond Flower Earrings with the George VI Festoon Necklace, 2009

They're not even a frequent evening option for The Queen, at that; she wore them a couple times in 2009 and that's about it so far. I'd love to see her loan them to The Countess of Wessex or The Duchess of Cambridge, where they might get more use. They're lovely earrings that could be favorites again for someone.

Flashback: State Visit from Spain, 1986

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain are headed to the United Kingdom for a state visit in 2017 after postponing a planned 2016 visit due to political difficulties. Two state visits happened between the two countries during the reign of Felipe's father, King Juan Carlos I: Spain to the U.K. in 1986, and the U.K. to Spain in 1988. The 1986 state visit took place in late April at Windsor Castle.

ITN video screencaps. See video here.

The Spanish couple were greeted on arrival by The Prince and Princess of Wales. Queen Sofia rarely wears hats, but on this occasion she chose to fall in line with what she knew her hosts would wear and donned a large black chapeau.

Embed from Getty Images

The Queen greeted her relatives (Elizabeth, Philip, Juan Carlos, and Sofia are all descendants of Queen Victoria) wearing the Cambridge Pearl Pendant Brooch.

For the evening state visit, QEII pulled out one of her favorite combinations: Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara, the Greville Chandelier Earrings, the George VI Festoon Necklace, and the True Lover's Knot Brooch. Queen Sofia brought her best and brightest as well, wearing the massive Fleur de Lys Tiara.

Embed from Getty Images

On this occasion, the sovereigns awarded each other orders that are not the highest rank for their respective countries. Juan Carlos was given the Royal Victorian Chain (he's wearing it around his neck in the photo above); Elizabeth was given the Order of Carlos III (which she wore with her Royal Family Orders). They awarded each other higher orders later.

ITN video screencaps. See video here.

Prince Philip and Prince Charles both received the Order of Carlos III. (You can see Philip also wearing the actual Garter from the Order of the Garter around his leg in the first state dinner photo.) Queen Sofia was not given a British order. The Queen Mother, who almost never wore foreign orders, was present in the Order of the Garter and the Greville Tiara.

This state visit also included a white tie return dinner with tiaras. Pictures are harder to come by; here is one selection showing multiple family members in attendance (from both countries). The Queen wore the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara with pearls and Queen Sofia repeated the Fleur de lys Tiara.

The Spanish state visit will be June 6 to June 8 July 12 to July 14, and we'll take a look at the 1988 state visit before then.

The Queen Mother’s Rock Crystal Brooch

The Duchess of Cornwall wears The Queen Mother's Rock Crystal Brooch, 2012
UK in Sweden via CC BY-ND 2.0

The Duchess of Cornwall is fond of this delicate oval brooch featuring a rock crystal disk with a diamond center and a diamond frame. Small details in black on the sides and center are likely onyx (or possibly enamel). The rock crystal has a frosted, translucent appearance and appears to be etched.

The Queen Mother, then The Duchess of York, wears the brooch on her hat, 1927
State Library of Queensland, via Wikimedia Commons

Although the brooch was largely unknown until The Duchess started wearing it, it has been in the royal family for at least 90 years. It was part of the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who fashionably perched it on her hats in the 1920s and 1930s. The then-Duchess of York and her husband were regular patrons of Cartier, who made multiple Art Deco brooches using the combination of crystal, diamond, and onyx; Cartier thus seems a likely candidate for creator of this brooch.

Embed from Getty Images

Lucy the Kitten makes a play for the brooch, 2010

The Rock Crystal Brooch would have passed to The Queen in 2002, who included it among the many other pieces from The Queen Mother’s collection she has loaned to The Duchess of Cornwall. Camilla wears it regularly, and its appearance can vary from highly visible (on a dark outfit) to practically invisible (on a light outfit), thanks to the translucent crystal revealing the color of the fabric behind.