The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

A Quartet of Brooches for the Queen

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The Queen recently returned from her annual summer holiday at Balmoral, and she’s definitely back in the swing of things! Here’s a look at four brooches she wore this week.

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

On Saturday, HM attended QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse. Appropriately, she presented the trophy for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

For the occasion, she wore a brooch that’s been in her jewelry box for seven decades: the Diamond Clematis Brooch. She famously wore the brooch for her official engagement photos in 1947.

YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

On Monday, the Queen attended a reception at St James’s Palace marking the 60th anniversary of Cruse Bereavement Care. Run by a small band of dedicated volunteers, Cruse Bereavement Care was founded in 1959 as the Cruse Clubs Counselling Service for Widows and Their Families. Today, the service provides wider support, and the volunteers present at the reception included, for example, those who provided support at the Grenfell Tower fire.

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The Queen chose another brooch that has been in her collection since the late 1940s for this reception. This is the large Nizam of Hyderabad Rose Brooch, part of a now-dismantled tiara that the Queen received as a wedding gift in 1947. You can read more about the lost tiara (and see a great close-up of the brooch!) over here.

YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Here’s one more view of the Queen wearing the brooch at the reception. Even though its design is fairly intricate, the brooch stands up well against prints and patterns.

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On Tuesday, the Queen held private audiences at Buckingham Palace. One of the dignitaries she greeted was the High Commissioner for Grenada, Lakisha Grant.

VICTORIA JONES/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

For the series of meetings, the Queen chose a small brooch: a rarely-glimpsed bar brooch set with aquamarines and diamonds. We don’t have much (or really any) provenance information available for this little-seen jewel, but it certainly looks antique.

Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

HM held more audiences with various ambassadors at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, including a meeting with the ambassador from the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Fesseha Shawel Gebre.

Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images

For these diplomatic audiences, the Queen chose one of the oldest brooches in her jewelry box: the diamond and amethyst brooch that belonged to Queen Victoria’s mother, the Duchess of Kent. Learn more about the jewel over here!

Royal Purple for Meghan in London

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GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

While the royal world’s eyes were on Tokyo on Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex was out and about in London wearing gorgeous purple and chic diamonds.

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Meghan, who is Vice-President of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, made an appearance at the One Young World Summit Opening Ceremony at Royal Albert Hall. (One Young World is partnering with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust this year.) The One Young World Summit is a global forum for young leaders, bringing together 2000 young people from more than 190 countries to accelerate social impact, with an aim of creating the next generation of more responsible and effective leadership.

GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Meghan wore a dress in one of my favorite colors, a gorgeous vivid violet, for the ceremony. She accessorized with simple gold and diamond jewels, letting the vibrant color speak (mostly) for itself. We didn’t get a great look at her earrings, but you can see the flash of the diamond studs above.

GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

On her left wrist, Meghan wore a slim yellow gold bangle.

GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Here’s another closer view of the bracelet.

GARETH FULLER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

And rejoice, diamond lovers: Meghan’s engagement ring is back! She left it at home during her recent visit to Africa, but for Tuesday’s ceremony, the ring was front and center.