Duchess Of Cornwall Camilla Wore Stunning Brooch In Portrait Commemorating New Role As Colonel-In-Chief Of Rifles

Nov 13, 2020 by apost team

On November 6, 2020, Clarence House’s official Instagram page shared a portrait of Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, wearing a brooch commissioned by The Rifles. The picture was released to mark her appointment as Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles after her father-in-law, Prince Philip, transferred the role to her back in July.

Clarence House has released a new portrait to mark Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall’s appointment as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 2007. In it, the Duchess is seen wearing a brooch commissioned by the regiment, presented to her by General Sir Patrick Sanders KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen last month.

According to Hello!, the photograph was taken on October 13th at the Duchess and her husband Prince Charles' royal residence, Clarence House. The official Instagram account of The Rifles also commemorated the occasion with the same photo, saying: “For the past 13 years HRH has been the Royal Colonel of 4 RIFLES and with her elevation to the new role is incredibly proud to hold this prestigious post cementing her place within the regimental family.”

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The regiment goes on to explain the meaning behind the brooch that Camilla had on:

“Central to the heritage of the Regiment is the silver Bugle Horn used as the cap badge of The Rifles. The bugle horn, easily carried, and sonorous and penetrating in sound, was the ideal replacement for the drum and was therefore adopted by Light Infantry and later Rifle Regiments from the early 1800s to pass orders across the battlefield. Today, every Rifleman wears a silver bugle as their cap badge.”

As the Colonel-in-Chief, the Duchess will wear the brooch every time she carries out her duties. She will also don the brooch for special events where appropriate.

According to The Rifles, the brooch is 45mm wide and made of 18-carat white gold and set with 206 cut diamonds. The Duchess was dressed in an emerald-colored top that matched the three rounded emeralds on the brooch. The gems adorn the bugle cords and the sovereign’s crown.

Camilla’s father, the late Bruce Shand, had fought alongside Riflemen in North Africa during World War II. According to his Wikipedia page, The London Gazette reported that he had served in France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He was awarded The Military Cross on July 5th, 1940 for his work aiding the withdrawal to Dunkirk, a commune in Nord, Northern France, the place he had evacuated from before going back to England. During World War II, Shand was brought to Germany and taken as a prisoner of war. While imprisoned, he received a promotion to the rank of war-substantive captain and to the substantive rank of captain.

The Rifles, recognizing Camilla’s father’s accomplishments, said:

“The Duchess’ father distinguished himself fighting alongside Riflemen in North Africa during World War II and the sacrifice and fortitude of his generation has always inspired her. There is no doubting how proud he would be to see her as Colonel-in-Chief of one of the finest fighting Regiments in the British Army.”

The Duchess recorded a message for the occasion expressing her gratitude to the regiment saying: “Riflemen, with the rest of our nation, I am profoundly in your debt for all that you do, especially during these troubled times.”

She continued:

“Continue to uphold those qualities of discipline, courage, and sense of humor that my father spoke of and be proud of all that you represent. Wherever you may be viewing this message, on operations in Afghanistan, deployed to Estonia, on exercise in the U.K. or indeed, enjoying some much-deserved leave, thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

On November 12th, the Clarence House’s Instagram account posted a photo of The Duchess and Prince Philip standing side by side as they attended a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of the burial of the unknown warrior on Armistice Day.

The caption read: “The service commemorates an unknown British serviceman, whose body was brought from Northern France and buried at @westminsterabbeylondon on 11th November 1920. It represents all those who lost their lives in World War I but whose place of death was unknown, or whose bodies were unidentified.”

Both husband and wife wore poppy pins for the service and Duchess Camilla was seen with an accessory designed with poppy flowers. The poppy flower is a symbol which, according to People, raises money for The Royal British Legion. The Royal British Legion aims to provide support to serving and ex-serving personnel and their families.

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