Queen Elizabeth Wore Her Mother’s Aquamarine Art-Deco Brooch As She Attended Trooping The Colour To Mark 95th Birthday

Jun 14, 2021 by apost team

It’s customary for the royal family to celebrate and commemorate events throughout the year and when it comes to their birthdays, sometimes it’s twice a year. Queen Elizabeth II has two birthdays recognized — the day she was born on April 21, 1926, and her “official” birthday in June. This day is commemorated by the annual Trooping the Colour event.

Normally, the ceremony features over 1,400 parading soldiers, 400 musicians, 200 horses, and many onlookers, according to The Royal Household’s official website. The parade, which usually starts from Buckingham Palace, even closes with a patriotic showing from the Royal Air Force.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, BBC News reported that this event had been scaled down by a lot in 2020 and 2021. The last two years' Trooping the Colour was also different because the reduced parade took place on the grounds of Windsor Castle, rather than in central London, led by the Scots Guards.

The tradition didn't actually begin with Queen Elizabeth II, but rather King George II, all the way back in 1748. The reason is actually due to the weather — King George II's birthday was in November, which is a terrible month for weather in Britain. In order to best celebrate outdoors, it was decided that a big outdoor celebration would take place in June to make use of the better summer weather. Ever since, the Trooping the Colour event has taken place in June, regardless of when the ruling monarch's actual birthday is.

Sadly, this year, just shy of her 95th birthday on April 21, the Queen lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, who passed away on April 9. She celebrated this year's Trooping The Colour alone. 

With only 275 people in the parade, the queen's celebration was much smaller than usual due to COVID-19. Still, the parade was much bigger than the 2020 Trooping the Colour parade, which only had 85 soldiers.

About the Trooping the Colour event which took place on June 12, 2021, Lt Col Guy Stone told the Mirror, "It's been very challenging, but we like a challenge. Covid has got a lot to answer for in so many ways, it's made this difficult but what we want to do more than anything is give the Queen a memorable and uplifting day."

Elizabeth was seen sitting without the other senior members of the royal family. Express UK reported that Elizabeth arrived at the Quadrangle in Windsor Castle at 11 am to watch the Trooping of the Colour in her honor.

For the event, Elizabeth opted to wear an elegant grey coat dress and matching hat. The queen is rarely ever seen not wearing a brooch for most royal events, and this special occasion was no exception. She wore the gorgeous Aquamarine Art Deco brooch, which is an aquamarine gem at its center and surrounded with diamonds. The news outlet reported that this is a rare piece of jewelry in the queen’s varied collection. 

The brooch’s gorgeous central aquamarine is bright blue and rectangular, and some of the surrounding stones are also aquamarine. 

According to the Court Jeweller, the brooch has a unique shape and design, which suggests that it may be able to be separated and worn as a pair of clips. The brooch originally belonged to the Queen Mother and was passed down to Elizabeth in 2002.

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The beautiful brooch dates back to at least the 1930s and Express UK reported that one of the first times it appeared in public was in 1939 when the Queen Mother wore the jewel to meet with President Lebrun of France at Windsor Castle.

These aren't the only special aquamarine brooches that the queen owns. Elizabeth wore a matching pair of brooches to the 2021 State Opening of the Parliament on May 11, 2021. The brooches she wore for that event also have a special meaning for her, as they were given to her by her parents more than 70 years ago. 

Much like Trooping the Colour, the State Opening is usually known for its grand pomp and splendor, involving hundreds of people, elaborate dresses and costumes, and several ceremonies. Like the queen's second official birthday, the State Opening was also scaled back this year due to the pandemic.

The matching aquamarine brooches she wore for the event were the highlight of her outfit, and they are also one of the most beautiful brooches the queen owns. Express UK reported that the gorgeous gems were given to then-Princess Elizabeth for her 18th birthday in 1944 by her parents. The brooches are made of clear aquamarines and diamonds and can be worn either as one large oval brooch or separately as they were worn by the queen on May 11.

The news outlet reported that the queen is particularly fond of these pieces and has worn them at a great many events, with the last event being the VE Day 75th Anniversary Address on 8 May 2020. 

What do you think of the beautiful Aquamarine brooch that Queen Elizabeth wore? Tell us about your favorite royal jewelry you have seen over the years, and be sure to ask your friends about what they think as well.