Queen Camilla Wears 185-Year-Old Brooch as She Coordinates in Royal Blue With Kate Middleton

The British royal family’s two most senior royal women, Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales, coordinated in royal blue to welcome Germany’s First Couple to the U.K. for the third state visit of the year, following the French state visit in July and the U.S. state visit in September.
On December 3, the Queen wore a cashmere coat by Anna Valentine over a silk dress, a hat by Philip Treacy, and a sapphire and diamond brooch that once belonged to Queen Victoria. Kate also opted for sapphire and diamond jewelry, wearing a pair of Princess Diana’s earrings that featured the same gems as Camilla’s brooch.
Known as the Prince Albert brooch and named for the husband of Queen Victoria, the piece was given to Victoria on her wedding day in 1840. According to The Court Jeweller, Victoria remarked in her diary that the “splendid” brooch was “really quite beautiful.” She liked it so much that she wore it on her wedding day itself, and wore it on many special occasions over the next 20 years.
Prince Albert died 21 years into their marriage in 1861, and afterwards, a brokenhearted Victoria rarely wore the brooch. “But she never forgot its significance,” Tatler reported, “designating it as an heirloom of the Crown in her will.” It has since been passed down through royal generations and is specifically worn by queens, a la Camilla. Every queen since Victoria has worn it, from Queen Alexandra choosing it for her coronation in 1902 to Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and now Camilla favoring it for daytime engagements such as Wednesday’s kickoff to the three-day state visit.
Queen Elizabeth, Tatler reported, “particularly loved the piece” upon receiving it when she took the throne in 1952. She frequently wore it with blue outfits, just as Camilla did today. Its significance continues as the brooch is said to have inspired the iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring originally given to Princess Diana by Prince Charles and now worn by Kate.