From Her Majesty's Jewel Vault: Jardine Star Brooch

The Queen held audiences at Buckingham Palace.

#2: The Jardine Star came along for a private audience with the NATO Secretary General.

Jardine Star Brooch

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And #3: I thought this would be the same because the outfit is the same, but if you can make it out, it's yet another one! The Maple Leaf Brooch handled the other audience duties for the day.

Maple Leaf Brooch

Let's bop back to the NATO reception for a second before we go, because there were other family members with more gems...

Royal Family

Naturally, one of The Duchess of Cornwall's favorite (and signature) pearl chokers was her pick for the event.

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The Duchess of Cambridge leaned into the evening side of things with the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan again from The Queen.

Royal Family

The Duchess of Gloucester was right there with her with emerald earrings and a necklace of pearls and emeralds, part of a set originating with Queen Alexandra that was later worn and altered by Queen Mary and Princess Alice.

Royal Family

And finally, it looks like The Princess Royal selected her Grima pearl earrings.

21 June 2019

Royal Ascot, Day 4

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

Have we got some COLOR on display today, friends, as Ascot starts to wind down. The Queen got things rolling with her raspberry coat featuring a nice cut away detail to display the silk floral dress underneath. The Jardine Star Brooch looks enormous here, with a strong solid background to show off its full design.

Her Maj's seatmate for the ride in was Lady Helen Taylor, sporting an unusual orange and pink combo with a whole lot of hat froof. Normally, I'd advocate for ditching the orange bow...situation. But cast her as a supporting player in the raspberry queen's color story and suddenly I'm feeling like, sure, why not?

Sarah, Duchess of York poses her own why not: Why not just treat every color like a neutral? Neutral green, neutral yellow, neutral purple. Maybe just not all at once, though.

01 June 2019

Epsom Derby

The Queen attended the Epsom Derby at Epsom Racecourse.

The Jardine Star makes its second appearance of the year as Her Maj kicks off the busiest month of the year. The brooch was also transferred to the dress underneath.

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Engagement and Wedding Rings

Gold Watch

28 March 2019

Visit to Somerset

The Queen visited Somerset.

Royal Family

Doesn't get much more Spring-like than this outfit, does it? Her Maj got to meet some horses, we got to see the Jardine Star for the first time this year - all in all, a satisfying away day.

11 November 2018

Armistice Centenary Service

The Queen and members of the Royal Family attended the National Service to mark the centenary of the Armistice at Westminster Abbey, London.

BBC

The Queen was joined by the President of Germany at this evening's service, which the two began by laying fresh flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Westminster Abbey

The flowers, as you can see, were of bright colors to symbolize celebration at this armistice service, according to Westminster Abbey. (And for the flower lovers among you, the arrangement includes heather, gerbera, lilies, roses, and chrysanthemums.)

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Fittingly, the black dress code we usually see for remembrance gave way to some more colorful attire from the Royal Family. The Queen used the Jardine Star Brooch to hold her poppies on her purple coat.

BBC

The Queen was joined by The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, and Prince Michael of Kent for the Westminster Abbey service. Other members of the Royal Family were dispatched to services around the United Kingdom: The Duke of York was in Belfast, The Earl and Countess of Wessex were in Cardiff, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were in Glasgow.

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The Duchess of Cornwall joined The Queen in purple attire, wearing her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings and the Poppy Collection Women of the First World War Brooch. Her pearl choker is a newer addition to her collection and one we haven't yet covered.

Westminster Abbey

The Duchess of Cambridge repeated her green Catherine Walker coat and added a green velvet Jane Taylor headband. She wore a crystal poppy brooch and her pearl earrings from this morning.

Westminster Abbey

The Duchess of Sussex joined her husband in the navy suit club with her elegant skirt suit choice. I like her nice big poppy - especially since some were complaining that they couldn't see the poppy she wore at the Festival of Remembrance.

And with that, we cap off a very busy two days of remembrance for the Royal Family.

06 August 2018

Balmoral Holiday, 2018

By Nick Bramhall from Aberdeen, UK - Balmoral Castle Uploaded by Kurpfalzbilder.de, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Queen started her annual summer Balmoral holiday on July 19. She stayed at Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral estate while the castle was still open to the public as she usually does, followed by taking up official residence at the castle itself on August 6. Her break usually ends around late September/early October with an engagement or two in Scotland before heading south.

Any appearances by The Queen during her holiday will be gathered in this post.

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October 7: NEW! As she wraps up her Balmoral break, Her Maj jumps straight from summer to winter with her fur-trimmed red outfit. Both the Gold Trellis Brooch and Lady Sarah Chatto accompanied her to church today.

Queen braves 'Arctic blast' as she looks regal in red heading to church in Balmoralhttps://t.co/agWpxpdcOz pic.twitter.com/wVt0opPKQE
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) October 7, 2018

September 30: The Sapphire and Diamond Grapes Brooch shows up at church as blue continues to be the color of the summer.

The Queen was joined by this royal couple in Balmoral on Sunday... https://t.co/AanU1UkCmx pic.twitter.com/6AulljBSqC
— HELLO! (@hellomag) September 30, 2018

September 23: The Diamond and Pearl Navette Brooch makes another church appearance. In other Balmoral news, The Queen was spotted checking in on some horses, and unfortunately one of her ladies-in-waiting, The Hon. Mary Morrison, broke her ankle in a fall at the castle. [Express, Hello]

The Queen is joined by Charles and Camilla at Crathie Kirk as her Balmoral break draws to a close https://t.co/LMT7eZoiR6
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) September 23, 2018

September 16: Another church brooch that needs no debate: the Singapore Peranakan Diamond Jubilee Brooch.

Royal day out! Queen joined by Charles and William at church - but there's no sign of Kate https://t.co/fwMEWK9zSu pic.twitter.com/gZWqsKQ9nQ
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) September 16, 2018

September 9: Church again and hmm, interesting, this kinda looks like a badge to me. We'll see what you think. Here's a gallery for your investigation. [Zimbio]

September 2: The Cullinan V Brooch stands out beautifully on this navy coat for another Sunday at Crathie Kirk.

September 1: The annual Braemar Gathering has its own post right here.

August 26: More members of the Royal Family have arrived at Balmoral. The Queen, wearing the Pearl Navette Brooch, was joined in her car for church by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess wore the Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings on loan from The Queen. [Evening Standard]

A post shared by Royal Addicted (@royal.addicted) on Aug 26, 2018 at 6:02am PDT

August 19: A good effort from the Pearl Trefoil Brooch here, trying to stand out on this beige tweed for another Sunday church outing.

Prince Philip attends church service with the Queen during royals' Balmoral summer break https://t.co/forAnNH210 pic.twitter.com/6zq13BLg84
— Evening Standard (@standardnews) August 20, 2018

August 12: It's about time for a thistle brooch. The Three Thistle Brooch was worn to church at Balmoral. Princess Beatrice accompanied her grandmother, wearing a fabulous Garbo hat. [People, Sun]

August 6: The Queen starts her official residency at Balmoral Castle with the traditional welcome ceremony. This always includes inspecting a Royal Guard, so of course the Royal Regiment of Scotland Badge was the pick.

August 5: Church at Balmoral, and if history's an indication, not the first time this summer the brooch will be tough to identify.

The Queen waves to delighted onlookers during rare public appearance https://t.co/u3LGughwLk
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) August 5, 2018

July 29: Church at Crathie Kirk near the Balmoral estate, her place of worship while in residence, wearing the Jardine Star Brooch. [Hello]

A post shared by British Royal Family (@_british_royals_) on Aug 5, 2018 at 5:20am PDT

10 July 2018

RAF Centenary

The Queen, accompanied by Members of The Royal Family, attended events to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force, including a service at Westminster Abbey, a Presentation of the Colours at the Buckingham Palace forecourt, and a fly past watched from the balcony.

Westminster Abbey

Can't really go wrong with blue for an RAF event, can you? While some of the other ladies of the family wore badges related to specific RAF groups with which they are associated, I suppose there are simply too many of those in The Queen's collection to decide. She went neutral with the Jardine Star.

Royal Family

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

This was a big event for the whole family, and the rest of the lot will be coming up on the other blog tomorrow!

20 June 2018

Royal Ascot, Day 2

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

Can you believe this is only the second appearance of the Jardine Star this year?! This year's list of most frequently worn brooches should be interesting. It looks great on this outfit from the dynamic duo of Stewart Parvin and Rachel Trevor-Morgan. I am in love with the pink flowers against this light blue.

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Following up on their cousins' day out to the Epsom Derby earlier in the month, Her Maj's carriagemate for the day was Princess Alexandra. In addition to her elegant hat, she really piled on the gems: emerald earrings, big pearl choker, emerald butterfly brooch, diamonds throughout. So far, my Best in Bling this Ascot. (But it's only Day 2, royal ladies, so step up and contend for the title...)

14 February 2018

Commonwealth Diaspora Reception and Audiences at Buckingham Palace

The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duchess of Gloucester, hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Diaspora community.

Royal Family

For more: Royal Family Channel video, Zimbio gallery.

Double brooch day! The Jardine Star, a favorite for all occasions, and...

Royal Family Channel screencap

The Queen held audiences at Buckingham Palace.

....the Pearl Triangle, a popular choice for audiences in the past couple years.

Pearl Triangle Brooch

Engagement and Wedding Rings

Gold Watch

25 December 2017

Christmas Service and Christmas Broadcast, 2017

Merry Christmas! We'll be chatting about the other fashions on Christmas display during the annual Windsor church walk at the other blog tomorrow. But first, The Queen:

The Queen, accompanied by members of the Royal Family, attended Christmas service at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.

I confess, I had my fingers crossed that Christmas this year would bring us a first outing of the Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch received from Canada earlier this year. Her Maj had in mind another Commonwealth treat, however: the Australian Wattle Brooch, looking large and proud on this orange outfit. The Wattle is making its third appearance of 2017, which is the most we've seen it in one year since I started keeping track here.

Australian Wattle Brooch

While we're at it, The Queen's companion in the car to church today was The Duchess of Cornwall, who sported another jewel we've covered here: The Queen Mother's Rock Crystal Brooch.

The Queen's annual message was broadcast on Christmas Day.

The Queen's Christmas message this year speaks of home and pays tribute to London and Manchester as well as honoring The Duke of Edinburgh in the year he retired. Pictures from her wedding and this year's platinum anniversary join snaps of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at her side; off to the side (which you can't see in this shot) were also pictures of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, plus a picture from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement. She's wearing a dress made for her Diamond Jubilee, and accompanying that with one of her favorite brooches this year (and most years), the Jardine Star.

Jardine Star Brooch

Coming up before we hit the new year: our annual round up of the year in The Queen's jewels, with the big brooch tally! Stay tuned...

30 November 2017

Visit to West Sussex

The Queen visited Canine Partners and Chichester Festival Theatre during her visit to West Sussex.

Royal Family

For more: ITV article and video, Zimbio gallery.

Any visit with puppies is a good visit, this we know.

(And the slight hiccup with the posy delivery just makes it better.)

Royal Family

I suppose we could also say that any day with the Jardine Star is a good day too, while we're at it.

23 October 2017

HMS Sutherland Visit

The Queen visited HMS Sutherland, celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Commissioning, at the West India Dock, London.

For more: Zimbio gallery.

The military visits continue but the badges take a brief break, as the Jardine Star returns from its summer vacation.

07 July 2017

Holyrood Week: Royal Society of Edinburgh Visit

The Queen, Patron, visited the Royal Society of Edinburgh to present the Royal Medals.

That's a wrap on Holyrood Week for 2017! I think Her Maj saved her best outfit of the week for last. And her best brooch of the week, too, for one can never go too wrong with Jardine Star.

The Queen now has a bit more business to take care of in London before her upcoming Balmoral break, including one big event: next week's State Visit from Spain.

23 June 2017

Royal Ascot, Day 4

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

I have a theory that Her Maj plans at least one Ascot outfit each year that is specifically designed to confound the bookies taking bets on her hat. How many colors will they have to pay out on this time?, she deviously giggles to herself as her carriage rolls into the ring. Nobody was betting on "muted jade", as Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat and Stewart Parvin called their creations, that's for sure. So they paid out on turquoise, green, and blue.

The brooch would've been an easier guess, because we're back to the Jardine Star and back to her old favorites. I detect a hint of pink in the dress beneath (this is a really lovely color combo, actually) and that's all I need to suggest that the Williamson Diamond Brooch would have been a superb choice here. On this outfit, and on all the rest of the outfits. Yeah, I'm just gonna keep on suggesting it.

13 June 2017

Anniversary Train Ride and Companions of Honour Centenary

Double event, double outfit, double brooch day!

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh celebrated the 175th anniversary of the first train journey taken by a British monarch, replicating Queen Victoria's 1842 journey from Slough Railway Station to London Paddington.

Royal Family

For more: Zimbio gallery, ITN video.

Her Maj must not have been feeling very literal today, or surely we would have had a Queen Victoria brooch to remember Queen Victoria's train trip.

Nizam of Hyderabad Rose Brooch

But a close up of the Nizam's even better, no? There's so much dimension to these roses. The tiara they came from would have been a sight to see in action.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended an Evensong service and reception at Hampton Court Palace, London, to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Companions of Honour.

Royal Family

For more: Zimbio gallery.

For her second outfit and brooch of the day, The Queen brought back the Jardine Star. Much like the recently reappeared Cambridge Pearl Pendant, this perpetual favorite is making its first appearance in 2017 after a lengthy hiatus. We haven't seen it since last October! It returned on an outfit it's seen before.

Royal Family

Quite a game of who's who, this gathering of the Order of the Companions of Honour. The order was founded by George V in 1917 as an award for outstanding achievement.

Jardine Star Brooch

18 October 2016

Team GB Reception, Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen and other members of the Royal Family hosted a reception for Team GB's Olympic and Paralympic athletes at Buckingham Palace.

For more: Telegraph video and article.

I think she went with a dress zazzy enough to coordinate with those bright medals and their colorful ribbons, just in case the opportunity opened up to swipe one. It's what I would do.

ITN screencap

But she came with her own bling, of course. The Jardine Star's going to have to step it up if it wants to make the list of 2016 favorites.

Earlier: The Queen received the Governor of South Australia, the Hon. Hieu Van Le, and his wife, Mrs. Le, for an audience at Buckingham Palace.

Round Cambridge Emerald Brooch

The Round Cambridge Emerald's on its third appearance for the year. All three have been at Buck Pal audiences, and I'm totally on board with making this the new "audience brooch" standard.

Engagement and Wedding Rings

Gold Watch

05 July 2016

Holyrood Week: Garden Party, Audience, and Investiture

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Earl of Wessex, and The Princess Royal, attended a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

ITN screencaps

For more: Video here, photos here and here.

Here's the Jardine Star making its third appearance of the year (on an outfit that would look smashing with the Australian Wattle Brooch, I can't help but note), and here's HM adding another item to the list of 90th birthday presents:

Nicola Sturgeon presents the Queen with stone bench during garden party at Holyrood Palacehttps://t.co/5E61U3JZVm pic.twitter.com/17oswIyhlK
— Express Pictures (@Express_Pics) July 5, 2016

The Queen also held an audience and an investiture today at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Following this morning's Investiture, The Queen held an audience with @ScotParl Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh pic.twitter.com/er0XkSGcmL
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 5, 2016

I have not even a guess to wager here.

18 June 2016

Royal Ascot, Day 5

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

Royal Ascot ends how it began: with one of The Queen's favorite brooches.

The Queen receives her trophy for winning the Hardwicke Stakes https://t.co/JiafQIhaqX
— Channel 4 Racing (@Channel4Racing) June 18, 2016

It ends on a high note for The Queen, too: after needing to put down one of her horses following an accident earlier in the week, she had a winner today! Her horse Dartmouth won the Hardwicke Stakes.

Her outfit today is a repeat from her arrival in Germany last year, with a hat by Angela Kelly and a coat and dress by Peter Enrione. Enrione, 74 and known to The Queen as "Mr. Peter", has been Her Maj's tailor since the 1980s and still works up her outfits on his pre-war sewing machine.

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall are really into Royal Ascot this year - which, obviously, I love - and they were present to watch another of their horses race today. This is really one of the best hats in Camilla's collection, don't you think? Very classic, very sharp.

And very many bonus points to her for managing to squeeze in some Ascot brooch fun of her own !

Diamond Moth Brooch
Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp
Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings

That's a wrap for Royal Ascot 2016! Let's round this brooch festival up (you can click here to scroll through the posts for all five days):

From an old favorite...

To something new...

Something blue...

Something "borrowed"...

And back again.

From a brooch perspective: We're halfway through the year and we haven't had that many brooch surprises, so I'm doubly glad that Ascot gave us something new. The Cartier Diamond Rose Clip Brooch is one of the prettiest brooches she's debuted in recent years, and it will stand as my highlight from Ascot 2016.

From an outfit perspective: We're not going to forget that orange and blue number anytime soon, are we?! I have to give it to Angela Kelly on Day 2 also, I like that budding branch embellishment more every time I look at it.

What are your highlights from this year?

Photos: More4 screencaps and via Getty Images as indicated

21 April 2016

Birthday Beacon Lighting, and Yet Another Television Feature

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, and The Duchess of Cornwall, lit the first in a series of beacons for Her Majesty's 90th Birthday at Windsor Castle.

I thought we might have a second outfit and a different brooch here, but it won't hurt us to look at the Jardine Star again. Camilla also stuck to her usual selections, not much of note.

Perhaps they were saving it up for the private dinner hosted by Charles at Windsor Castle this evening. A reported 71 guests, including senior members of the Royal Family and some European royals, celebrated the milestone with The Queen. It was a black tie affair with dinner in the Waterloo Chamber and a special concert.

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Also, the BBC tonight added their own tribute to the mountain of features for HM's birthday. Elizabeth at 90 - A Family Tribute aired tonight; we previewed it last week here. (If you're keeping track, we've had Our Queen at 90, then The Queen at 90, and now Elizabeth at 90, so clearly there can be no more as all the possible title options in the whole world have already been taken.)

BBC screencap

Jokes aside, this was my favorite feature so far in terms of new footage and what felt like some real family moments. Narration by The Prince of Wales and comments from family members while they watch some previously unseen family films gave this a more personal feel. Lady Sarah Chatto was a lovely surprise; even a fellow queen regnant, Queen Margrethe, pops up to add her thoughts. The Queen watches some of the footage too.

Jewel-wise, the behind-the-scenes Coronation footage is a jewel spotting dream, and the Greville Chandelier Earrings and Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace are literal shining stars. Do watch it if you can.

Elizabeth at 90 - A Family Tribute is available on BBC iPlayer here, but it is geoblocked for audiences outside of the UK.

Update: It is also on YouTube, for now. You can watch below (thanks Miss Aotearoa!).

The Queen's 90th Birthday Walkabout

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh met crowds in Windsor on the occasion of Her Majesty's 90th birthday, and officially launched The Queen's Walkway.

A beautiful spring-themed return for the Jardine Star, in spring green wool and silk weave by Angela Kelly! So lovely. All together now: Happy birthday to you...