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The Queen’s Royal Mourning Jewels

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Several years ago, I answered a reader question here about the brooches that the Queen wore during the mourning period for Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. I’m still frequently sent questions about royal mourning jewels—what’s considered appropriate for mourning in the modern world, how the pieces are chosen, etc. As you can imagine, many of those same questions have been asked over the past week. In older days (for example, during the reign of Queen Victoria) there were stricter guidelines available for mourning clothes and jewelry. (Blacks, grays, mauves, lots of jet.) In our time, jewels for mourning are selected on a more personal and individual basis, but there are still some general ideas that seem to be followed.
Today, as the royal family gathers for the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, we will see royal mourning jewelry in the world’s spotlight once more. I won’t be sharing speculation here about the jewelry that the Queen and the other royals will or won’t wear for the funeral. (It’s not a fashion moment.) But I thought I would show some of the jewelry choices that the Queen has made in the past for the many funerals and memorials she’s attended over the course of her reign, particularly those in more recent years, to give you an idea of the way that she handles these moments from a jewelry perspective.
The general idea: “white” jewels, mostly diamonds and pearls, worn on dark (or occasionally white) clothing. The Queen tends to choose diamond and pearl brooches with classic shapes and design themes, often with ribbon or floral motifs. These jewels are not meant to grab the spotlight or draw the eye. Instead, they are worn as part of mourning attire: good clothing worn well as a way to honor the dead, in tones that help to remind the rest of the living that the mourners are engaged in a period of quiet reflection and grief. (Mourning clothes, including the armbands sometimes worn by men, have always been designed as visible signals to other living people, as a way to show them that the person wearing the clothes is participating in a period of mourning, so that they will be treated accordingly.) The same guidelines are generally also followed for other solemn occasions of memorial and remembrance, including the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations and similar events.
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On September 5, 1979, the royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey for the funeral of Lord Mountbatten. To honor this beloved royal uncle and cousin, the Queen wore one of her oldest royal heirloom brooches: the Duchess of Cambridge’s Pearl Pendant Brooch. The diamond and pearl brooch first belonged to Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge (a daughter-in-law of King George III). Queen Mary inherited the brooch from her mother, the Duchess of Teck, and then bequeathed it to the Queen in 1953.
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Exactly 18 years later, the Queen was in mourning once more. On September 5, 1997, she met with those who had gathered outside St. James’s Palace to mourn Diana, Princess of Wales. For this public appearance, her first since departing from Balmoral with her grandsons to return to London, she chose the Pearl Triangle Brooch. This long, elegant brooch is set with pearls and diamonds, including a single diamond in a pale shade of canary yellow. She also wore the brooch for her televised address to the nation the same day, during which she spoke to the people “as a grandmother” as well as a monarch.
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The next day, September 6, 1997, the Queen arrived with the rest of the royal family for Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. She chose a Victorian heirloom for the service, wearing one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches. The brooch is part of a trio made for Victoria in 1858, all of which were later designated as heirlooms of the crown. The Queen Mother also wore a brooch from the same era: Queen Victoria’s Pearl and Diamond Brooch.
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On February 15, 2002, the Queen and the royals attended Princess Margaret’s funeral at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. She wore the all-diamond City of London Lily Brooch, which she was given when she received the Freedom of the City of London in June 1947. Princess Margaret attended that 1947 ceremony at her sister’s side.
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The Queen Mother passed away at the remarkable age of 101 in March 2002. The royal family celebrated her legacy in a series of public memorials. Her body lay in state in Westminster Hall before her funeral. The Queen wore the Dorset Bow Brooch, a legacy from Queen Mary, as the coffin was placed there on April 5, 2002.
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For the Queen Mother’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, held on April 9, 2002, the Queen wore another heirloom from Queen Mary: the Kensington Bow Brooch. The classic diamond bow brooch features a single pearl pendant.
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On November 5, 2004, the Queen and the royals said farewell to another exceptionally long-lived royal lady: Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who died at the age of 102. The Queen wore the Pearl Trefoil Brooch, which is set with diamonds and pearls, for her aunt’s funeral at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
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A few weeks later, the royals gathered again at St. George’s Chapel for another family funeral. This time, they celebrated the life of Sir Angus Ogilvy, the late husband of Princess Alexandra. The Queen wore her City of London Lily Brooch for the funeral, which was held on January 5, 2005.
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On April 17, 2013, the Queen and the Duke attended the large ceremonial funeral at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the late Baroness Thatcher, the former prime minister. The Queen wore one of Queen Victoria’s Bow Brooches for the service.
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For a service of thanksgiving for the life and work of the Queen’s late former brother-in-law, Lord Snowdon, at Westminster Abbey on April 7, 2017, she chose another traditional mourning color: purple. (Purple and mauve clothing and gems were often used for transitional “half-mourning” attire in Victorian times. This service of thanksgiving was held several months after Lord Snowdon’s passing; his private funeral had taken place in Wales in January.) She wore one of her Amethyst Floral Brooches for the service.
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The Queen and the Duke joined other members of the extended family for the funeral of Patricia Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, at St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge on June 27, 2017. For this family service, the Queen wore another diamond and pearl brooch: the Courtauld Thomson Scallop-Shell Brooch, which she had inherited from the Queen Mother in 2002.
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More recently, the Queen wore mourning attire and jewels for an important ceremonial anniversary. She traveled on November 4, 2020, to Westminster Abbey, where a replica of her bridal bouquet was placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. The symbolic gesture was part of the centennial commemorations of the unknown soldier’s burial in the Abbey. The Queen wore the all-diamond Jardine Star Brooch for the quiet moment of remembrance.
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For the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, held today at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, the Queen wore an heirloom from Queen Mary. The Richmond Brooch was Queen Mary’s wedding gift from the town of Richmond, where she had spent much of her childhood. The 1893 brooch can also be worn with a pearl pendant, though the Queen wore it without the pendant for today’s funeral. The brooch’s most recent high-profile appearance came at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018.
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The Duchess of Cornwall chose a military jewel with great significance. The brooch is in the shape of the cap badge of The Rifles. In July 2020, she officially became their Colonel-in-Chief, taking over a role held by the Duke of Edinburgh for 67 years.
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The Duchess of Cambridge also wore jewelry with royal provenance. Both pieces are loans from the Queen. The Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings were made using pearls given to the Queen as a wedding present by the Hakim of Bahrain in 1947. The Japanese Pearl Choker Necklace was made for the Queen by Garrard, reportedly using pearls given to her by the Japanese government in the 1970s.
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The Countess of Wessex wore her small diamond brooch of interlocking hearts. The jewel was a gift from her husband to mark their first wedding anniversary in 2000.
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex’s daughter, Lady Louise, wore a cross pendant and a delicate brooch. You’ll note that the brooch’s design, which features a horse’s head and a curled whip, is a tribute to one of the hobbies Louise shared with her grandfather: carriage driving.

Remembrance Sunday Jewels 2020

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The Japanese crown prince’s proclamation wasn’t the only big royal event that took place this weekend. The Windsors also gathered (socially distantly) for events in London to mark Remembrance Sunday and the centenary of both the Cenotaph and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

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The Queen’s commemorations actually began several days before Remembrance Sunday, on Wednesday, November 4. She made a private visit to Westminster Abbey for a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. November 11 marks the 100th anniversary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior in the Abbey, and because the Queen was not able to attend the larger service commemorating the anniversary, she made a private appearance instead. For the private visit, which was filmed and later televised, the Queen wore a face mask for the first time in public. She gathered her poppies with the Jardine Star Brooch.
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Inside the Abbey, the Queen paid a special tribute to the Unknown Warrior. A replica of her wedding bouquet was created to be placed on the tomb. In 1947, Princess Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet was placed on the tomb, following a tradition begun by her mother in 1923. Every royal bride since has followed suit.
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Here’s a look at the Queen’s bouquet on her wedding day in November 1947. After the official photos were taken, the bouquet was returned to the Abbey to be placed on the tomb. Buckingham Palace shared a touching film on social media explaining the tradition and showing the royal bouquets placed on the tomb.
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After the Queen touched the replica bouquet, it was gently placed on the tomb by her equerry, Lieutenant Colonel Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah.
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It was a striking image, the Queen standing alone before the tomb in the empty Abbey. The unidentified British soldier buried in the tomb, who serves as a symbolic representative of all who fell in battle, died on a battlefield in Europe during World War I. His remains were exhumed in 1920 and escorted from France to England, where his casket was placed in a coffin made from oak timbers harvested from the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. King George V personally chose a medieval crusader’s sword from the Royal Collection to be affixed to the top of the coffin.
The coffin of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, before it was taken to France to receive the remains of the Unknown Warrior (Wikimedia Commons)

The Unknown Warrior was buried in Westminster Abbey on November 11, 1920. (Simultaneously, an unknown French soldier was interred beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.) The funeral procession traveled through London to the site of the Cenotaph. There, King George V waited with a large gathering of statesmen, military officers, and other dignitaries that included the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, Prince Henry, and the Duke of Connaught, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury. Queen Mary watched from a nearby balcony with Queen Alexandra, Princess Mary, and Queen Ena of Spain. 
The unveiling ceremony at the Cenotaph, 11 November 1920 (Wikimedia Commons)

The new permanent stone Cenotaph, which replaced an earlier temporary monument, was unveiled by the King at the stroke of eleven o’clock. After a long moment of silence, the King and the princes moved to the head of the procession of mourners and continued on behind the gun carriage bearing the Unknown Warrior to the Abbey. Atop the coffin was a steel helmet and a wreath of laurel, placed there personally by the King. He had included a handwritten message with the wreath, which read: “In proud memory of those Warriors who died unknown in the Great War. Unknown, and yet well-known; as dying, and behold they live. George R.I.”
Frank O. Salisbury’s painting of the burial of the Unknown Warrior, 1920 (Wikimedia Commons)

Inside the Abbey, crowds of women waited, including a hundred widows who had lost their husbands and all of their sons in the war. Press reports noted that the women’s “mourning [was] lightened only by the flower and wreaths on their knees.” (After the burial, they placed bouquets and wreaths beside the tomb; some women took flowers from the bunches and threw them into grave.) Four queens were in attendance as well: Queen Mary, Queen Alexandra, Queen Maud of Norway, and Queen Ena of Spain. The coffin was brought into the Abbey with a guard of honor of 100 Victoria Cross recipients, and the unknown soldier was buried among kings and queens. 
One writer who covered the procession and funeral for the Guardian allowed himself a moment of emotion in his report: “Who is it who lies there under the flag with field marshals and admirals for his pallbearers? Each member of this huge, quiet crowd gives him a different name, each a different face; he is husband, lover, brother, son to each, and many a woman here would give all her income from dreamland for a touch of his hand to her cheek.” As thousands of Britons filed past the grave after the funeral, the correspondent noted that the public tribute “had in it a feeling of comradeship, understanding, and cheerful goodwill. The unknown man had come back to his friends, and his friends greeted him in the way he would have liked best. Hail, but not farewell.”
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A hundred years later, in the midst of a global pandemic, the annual Remembrance Sunday ceremony was held at the Cenotaph on November 8, 2020. This year’s ceremony was closed to the public, but it was televised and can be streamed online as well.
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Members of the royal family gathered to participate in the commemorations. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Kent, the Princess Royal, and the Earl of Wessex all laid wreaths at the memorial during the ceremony.
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The Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Cambridge, Sir Timothy Laurence, and the Countess of Wessex watched from the balcony above.
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The Queen secured her poppies with the Dorset Bow Brooch for the occasion.
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With her signature pearl earrings and her pearl choker necklace with the large diamond clasp, the Duchess of Cornwall wore a diamond and emerald brooch designed after the cap badge of The Rifles. In July of this year, Camilla became Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, taking over from the Duke of Edinburgh, who had served in the role for almost seven decades. She’s also the Royal Colonel of the 4th Battalion of the regiment.
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The Duchess of Cambridge kept her jewelry very simple for the occasion, wearing diamond and pearl earrings on loan to her from the Queen.
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Like her sister-in-law, the Countess of Wessex wore the cap badge of The Rifles. (She’s the Royal Colonel of the 5th Battalion.) Sophie also wore a poppy brooch and a pair of earrings set with multicolored gemstones.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall also took part in two more recent commemorations. On Saturday, November 7, a scaled-back version of the Royal British Legion’s annual Festival of Remembrance was held. The Duchess of Cornwall, as Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Naval Medical Service, attended to pay tribute to the medical personnel who have done so much for the public good this year. She wore the badge of the Royal Naval Medical Service, plus a poppy brooch, as she delivered her remarks.
The Prince of Wales paid tribute to members of the Armed Forces, both past and present, including veterans like Captain Sir Tom Moore who have worked to benefit others during the pandemic.
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On Wednesday, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended an Armistice Day service at Westminster Abbey commemorating the 100th anniversary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior. During the ceremony, Rhian Morgan, a young member of the Welsh Guards, carried in the Padre’s Flag. This Union Jack is more than a century old, and it has incredible significance. It was owned by the Rev. David Railton (nicknamed “Padre”), the military chaplain who first proposed the idea of burying an unknown soldier in the Abbey. His flag was draped over the coffin of the Unknown Warrior in November 1920 during his funeral procession and after his burial. It’s rather remarkable to see the very same flag as part of the centenary commemorations of the moment.
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For the service, Camilla wore a face mask printed with poppies. She also wore the badge of the Lancers, her late father’s WWII regiment.
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In an echo of the women who attended the funeral service a hundred years earlier, Camilla placed a bouquet on the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. (Here’s video of that part of the service.) In 2005, her bridal bouquet had also been placed on the tomb, following in the Queen Mother’s tradition. You’ll note that the usual border of red poppies around the tomb was replaced for the occasion. Members of the National Association of Flower Arrangers replaced it this week with a beautiful arrangement of laurel — a visual echo of the wreath that King George V had placed on the coffin a hundred years ago.

Remembrance Sunday Jewels 2019

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The British royals gathered at the Cenotaph in London this morning to mark Remembrance Sunday, and the ladies of the family chose appropriate jewels to commemorate the occasion.

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The Queen, who stood on a nearby balcony with the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge to watch the ceremony, usually gathers her paper poppies with one of her diamond bow brooches, and this year, she chose the Dorset Bow Brooch. (She wore the same brooch last night for the Festival of Remembrance.)

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The Duchess of Cornwall wore her favorite pearl earrings with her pearl choker necklace with the large diamond clasp. With her poppies, she wore the cap badge of the Lancers. Her late father, Major Bruce Shand, served with the regiment during World War II.

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For the second year in a row, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a Royal British Legion crystal poppy brooch. (This specific brooch commemorates the work of codebreakers, like Kate’s grandmother, during World War II.) She also wore an important pair of earrings: the Bahrain diamond and pearl drop earrings, which are on loan to her from the Queen. (She wore the same earrings earlier this year for Trooping the Colour.)

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The Duchess of Sussex, the Countess of Wessex, and Sir Tim Laurence stood together on another balcony.

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Meghan did not wear any visible jewelry for this year’s commemorations. (I think this would have been the perfect outing for her small diamond and pearl earrings, given to her as a wedding present by the Queen.)

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Sophie chose to wear most of the same jewelry she wore for last night’s Festival of Remembrance, repeating the earrings, cross necklace, and poppy brooch. This time, she also wore the cap badge of The Rifles. (She’s the royal colonel of the 5th Battalion.)