Prince Albert’s sapphire brooch features a large oblong sapphire surrounded by 12 diamonds. It is set in gold. A very simple piece, it was worn by Queen Victoria on her wedding gown, as a gift from Prince Albert the day before the ceremony.
He also gifted his Victoria four fans, according to Leslie Fields. The wedding took place at St James’s Palace in the Chapel Royal in 1840.
It has been passed down by generations of Queens since Victoria’s day. Elizabeth II liked this brooch, as she wore it a lot, including to Prince William’s christening in 1982; as stated previously, The Queen wears her favourite pieces to important family events.
A close up of Prince Albert’s Sapphire brooch. (Antique Jewellery University)
The late Queen tended to wear the brooch with blue outfits, a shame as a white background would really make the piece stand out.
Princess Anne has a similar brooch, see below, which according to Suzy Menkes, was another that came from Prince Albert, as he had similar ones made for his daughters; she says The late Queen bought it for her own daughter when it came onto the market.
Following Charles’ accession, the brooch went back into the royal vaults. Queen Camilla first opted to wear Prince Albert’s Sapphire brooch during the State Visit to Germany in 2023.
Since then, Her Majesty has chosen to wear the piece on a number of occasions, including on the first official day of engagements during the Italian State Visit in 2025.
