Queen Consort Camilla had full access to all of the royal jewels the moment Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Within a matter of days, QEII’s dresser (and keeper of the royal jewels) Angela Kelly was tossed out and all of the locks were changed. Camilla put her dresser in charge of the royal jewels and Camilla has been happily showing off some really special pieces for the past year and a half. QEII had her favorite pieces and, in her later years, she tended to cycle through a few dozen pieces constantly, while leaving her least-favorite pieces in the back of the jewelry vault. Not Camilla – Camilla wants to show off every piece, even necklaces, brooches and tiaras which were closely associated with QEII. From the Times:
The Queen has adopted many of the duties of the late Elizabeth II, particularly since the King has been forced to stay away from public engagements. With a sense of purpose and a natural propensity towards cheerfulness, Camilla also appears to have adopted some of her attitude to the job. Yet there has also been a more subtle nod to her late mother-in-law which might easily have gone unnoticed. Camilla has been frequently breathing new life into a priceless collection of jewels previously owned by Elizabeth.
On Commonwealth Day this month Camilla wore an aquamarine and diamond brooch. In Northern Ireland she chose a turquoise and diamond three-leaf clover brooch. While hosting a reception for International Women’s Day at Buckingham Palace, Camilla wore sapphire, diamond and ruby clustered pearl drop earrings. And when leading the British royal family at the thanksgiving service in Windsor for the late King Constantine of Greece, she wore Cartier diamond ivy leaf clips, the first time they had been seen since Elizabeth’s death in 2022.
For her Shrewsbury visit on Wednesday, Camilla selected a fly brooch of Elizabeth’s to wear alongside a bee brooch from her own collection. On Thursday for the Maundy service at Worcester Cathedral, Camilla chose rarely seen Cartier gold and sapphire flower brooches which were given to Princess Elizabeth by her parents, who bought them in the 1940s. Occasionally, she will go further back in time in her selection from the historic jewellery collection. During a recent trip to the Isle of Man, Camilla picked a sapphire brooch given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert on the night before their wedding in February 1840.
For the state visit to Germany in March last year, Camilla wore a diamond and turquoise flower brooch given to Princess Elizabeth by Queen Mary as a confirmation present in 1942. A Palace source suggested they were chosen by Camilla merely because she liked them. However, others say that with aides making a point of noting which pieces Camilla is wearing, it hints that she is keeping Elizabeth’s memory close as she carries out an increasing number of solo appearances, seen by some as a skilful move to associate past and present.
Lauren Kiehna, writer and editor of the Court Jeweller website, which documents the jewellery worn by members of the royal family, said: “It’s been really interesting following Queen Camilla’s jewellery choices so far this year, and I do think there’s a connection between her increasing responsibilities in the King’s absence and the kinds of jewellery we’re seeing her wear. She has worn an interesting mix of pieces from a selection of different categories of brooches: small jewels from her personal collection, gifts from the King, and antique brooches from the royal vaults. She has chosen numerous pieces of important royal jewellery specifically when stepping in to represent the King at events.”
“The most exciting aspect about her recent choices is her continued resurfacing of heirloom pieces that haven’t been seen in many years, or in some cases, that perhaps haven’t been seen in public before at all. Wearing those relatively unknown pieces allows her to make a visual link between the past and the present, but it also gives her the chance to innovate a little bit with her jewels instead of simply repeating the familiar pieces worn often by the late Queen. When Queen Camilla wears a brooch associated with Queen Elizabeth, or even Queen Alexandra or Queen Mary, it underscores the importance of her royal role. But choosing lesser-known heirlooms helpfully avoids direct visual comparison. Delightfully, it also hints at what many of us have long known: that the late Queen’s jewellery collection was incredibly vast, with lots of treasures still waiting to be discovered.”
Ian Lloyd, the author and royal historian, said that Camilla was “giving the private jewel collection” of the late Queen “a new lease of life”. He added: “This is what Queen Elizabeth would have wanted. She was a very pragmatic person and would be glad to see them used. She believed she was the custodian of the collection and that they should be used by her successors. She would have hated to think of them becoming museum pieces or never being seen again.”
My inner magpie also enjoys the fact that Camilla is literally dusting off rarely-seen pieces and showcasing the vastness of the royal jewelry collection. But surely we can acknowledge that QEII probably wouldn’t have been that jazzed about it? QEII wore jewelry because people expected her to, because she thought people wanted a bit of glitz and glamour, but she wasn’t that generous with how she allocated Royal Collection pieces. There are so many personal pieces which I have to think QEII would have probably wished to leave to her daughter and granddaughters as opposed to her eldest son’s sidechick wife. Like, personal gifts from King George VI to Elizabeth… those don’t belong on Camilla. Every time I see Camilla wearing a piece closely associated with QEII, I wince, and I’m sure I’m not alone – Camilla really might be trying to draw the comparison, but instead she’s just reminding everyone that she “won” and all of the dead queen’s jewels now belong to the side chick.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.