Queen Elizabeth II Wore Meaningful Brooch With Connection To Princess Diana For Video Call

Jul 19, 2021

Queen Elizabeth has returned to her royal duties since the passing of Prince Philip in April and has shown that she continues to be the strong figurehead of the royal family despite the grief of losing her beloved companion and her age. At 95 years old, Elizabeth has become the longest-reigning British monarch in history, and the fourth-longest reigning monarch in the world. However, nothing has stopped the queen from doing her duties for her country, and she continues to show up to important events with enthusiasm.

On July 16, 2021, Elizabeth took part in a virtual meeting with young leaders who are supported by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust. She praised leaders from four countries who have made an important impact in their communities in her video call. The Royal Family's social media handle uploaded screenshots of the event on Instagram and in the screengrab, it was seen that Elizabeth wore a brooch that was quite meaningful and had a connection to Princess Diana. 

The queen wears brooches for all important events and royal engagements, and it was no different for this event. In the last year, Elizabeth has worn significant brooches to the State Opening of Parliament, a royal engagement at the HMS Queen Elizabeth and a scaled-down Trooping The Colour celebration that marks the queen's "unofficial birthday." 

The brooch that was worn on Friday had a special connection to the Princess of Wales, who continues to make a mark on the world even today. Diana's death in 1997 shocked the world and left her children completely devastated, but both Prince Harry and Prince William continue to uphold Diana's values today. 

PEOPLE reported that during the most recent virtual meeting, Elizabeth appears to be wearing one of her three Victoria Bow Brooches, which were handed down from Queen Victoria and date back all the way to the late 1800s. According to The Court Jeweller, Elizabeth "received the brooches on her accession in 1952, and she’s been wearing them regularly for the past 65 years." 

She chose the beautiful diamond piece for her most recent virtual royal engagement. A screenshot of the queen and a snippet of the video call was posted onto the Royal Family Instagram and had a long caption that detailed the royal engagement. 

"This week, The Queen joined young leaders supported by @queens_commonwealth_trust to discuss their remarkable work," the caption began. It went on to further detail the young leaders who took part in the call and their incredible work, all of whom have made important and life-changing contributions to their communities, such as helping children impacted by the pandemic, young people diagnosed with cancer and women experiencing domestic violence.

The Victoria Bow Brooch that Elizabeth wore reportedly come as a trio, and Victoria preferred to wear all three at once. Elizabeth on the other hand favors wearing them one at a time, often during daytime events. Previously, the queen wore this brooch on Sept. 9, 2015, which was the day that she surpassed Victoria's record as the longest-reigning monarch of Britain according to PEOPLE. According to Express UK, this choice to wear Victoria's brooch for such an important occasion "meant the trio of jewels will forever be associated with long-serving queens."

The brooch was also worn during the somber occasion of Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Diana tragically passed away in a car crash in 1997, which left the UK as well as the world in shock. The loss of their mother was especially devastating for William and Harry due to the nature of the loss as well as the media frenzy that came right after.

On July 1, 2021, William and Harry unveiled a statue of their late mother together, with Harry traveling to the U.K. especially for the event. The brothers commissioned the statue of their beloved mom back in 2017 for the 20th anniversary of her death, but due to external circumstances and the COVID-19 pandemic, had to be postponed until its unveiling in 2021. 

As reported by the BBC, a statement released by William and Harry back in 2017 said:

"It has been 20 years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue."

It continued:

"Our mother touched so many lives. We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and her legacy."

The official statue of Diana, Princess of Wales is located at the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, a spot that is said to have been her favorite on the grounds. The BBC also reported in 2017 that the statue had been a long time coming, considering Diana was the wife of a future king — Prince Charles — and the mother of another — William. 

Do you have a favorite brooch that the queen has worn in the past? Tell us about your thoughts, and be sure to ask others if they have a favorite piece of royal jewelry.