Queen Camilla Honors Queen Elizabeth II With Garden Party Brooch

Queen Camilla is continuing to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II over one year after the late monarch’s death.

Camilla, 76, and King Charles III hosted the first royal garden party of the year at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, May 8, during which she sported one of Elizabeth’s favorite brooches, the Cullinan V brooch. The brooch, which features a heart-shaped gemstone at its center, was originally worn by Queen Mary and inherited by Elizabeth in 1953, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

Elizabeth, who died at age 96 in September 2022, sported the Cullinan V brooch for several special occasions over the years, including at Princess Eugenie’s 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank and while sitting front row with Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week earlier that year.

The brooch was one of many accessories Camilla sported while greeting garden party guests on Wednesday. She paired a white dress with thin black stripes with a matching black-and-white hat, along with pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. Charles, 75, looked dapper in a gray suit and light blue vest and tie. He completed his look with a black top hat and was seen walking with an umbrella.

Related: Queen Camilla Through the Years

Queen Camilla had a winding romantic journey before she settled down with King Charles III. Before meeting the now-monarch, Camilla studied in England, Switzerland, and France. Her future changed when she became a debutante in London’s high society in 1965 and one of her friends introduced her to Charles. The pair began to date in […]

Camilla has paid homage to Elizabeth through her fashion choices many times since taking on her role as queen. Two months before her and Charles’ May 2023 coronation, she honored both Elizabeth and the late Queen Mother by sporting the iconic Boucheron Honeycomb Tiara (a.k.a. the Greville Tiara) and the City of London Fringe Necklace at the State Banquet at Schloss Bellevue Palace in Berlin.

Camilla’s coronation garb also included several of Elizabeth’s jewelry and fashion pieces, including the late royal’s Robe of State and the Coronation Necklace. Camilla’s Bruce Oldfield coronation dress, meanwhile, featured lilies of the valley, a flower used in Elizabeth’s coronation bouquet.

During the ceremony, Camilla was crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown, which was altered to include the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds from Elizabeth’s jewelry collection.

Related: King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s Relationship Timeline

King Charles III and Queen Camilla weathered a very public scandal before becoming an official royal couple. Charles was under intense scrutiny as his mother Queen Elizabeth II’s heir apparent when he met Camilla (née Shand) in 1970. The pair dated before the prince served in the Royal Navy. When he returned home, she was […]

Last month, Camilla donned another of Elizabeth’s brooches, which featured a skull and crossbones design, while visiting the Royal Lancers. Camilla previously filled in for Charles at public events amid his cancer treatment. He resumed royal duties in March after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and later made his first public appearance with Camilla at a cancer treatment center in April.

Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple, who wed in 2005, would be taking over many of Elizabeth’s former patronages. Charles will take over as patron of the Royal British Legion, a nonprofit that supports military veterans, as well as the Dogs Trust charity, which helps animals in need.

Camilla, for her part, will take charge of the Royal Literary Fund, the Royal Academy of Dance, the Royal Voluntary Service and become president of the Women’s Institute’s Sandringham branch.