Queen Camilla has worn a number of Elizabeth II’s items of jewellery since her death in September 2022, and the 2024 Royal Maundy Service was no different. Camilla debuted a pair of brooches which haven’t been seen for a number of years – the Cartier sapphire and diamond flower brooches
For the annual Service ahead of Easter, Camilla wore the gold and sapphire flower brooches.
Camilla wore a pair of brooches from her late mother-in-law’s collection for the Royal Maundy Service. (Royal Family/Twitter)
Very little is known about the brooches, however we know the brooches were commissioned by Elizabeth II’s father, George VI.
In ‘The Queen’s Jewels‘, Leslie Field writes that Elizabeth II’s Cartier sapphire and diamond flower brooches ‘were brought separately in 1942 and 1945 by King George and Queen Elizabeth’.
The brooches were a birthday gift to Elizabeth, together with a matching pair of earrings in the shape of miniature flowers on tiny stems.
The Cartier brooches are made of gold, diamonds and sapphires – fluted gold gives the illusion of petals, whilst the diamonds and sapphires create the pistil (or the centre) of the flowers.
Both brooches have square-cut diamond centres and one of the three leaves is set with pave-set diamonds. It looks similar in shape to the pansy brooches Camilla already owned.
Whilst these brooches weren’t the most famous in Her late Majesty’s jewellery collection, there were worn on a number of occasions. We’ve taken a look at some of the times Elizabeth II worn the pair of floral brooches:
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The Cartier sapphire and diamond flower brooches were worn for at the Epsom Race course in 1995, and to the United Westminster Almshouses on Rochester Row in 1996.
