SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL/AFP through Getty Photos
Queen Elizabeth II of the UK had a powerful assortment of diamond bow brooches, so it was solely acceptable that two royal women introduced out necessary diamond bows throughout her memorial and funeral ceremonies. And certainly one of them could have a serious British royal connection!
SARAH MEYSSONNIER/POOL/AFP through Getty Photos
On the eve of the Queen’s funeral, the King and Queen of the Belgians arrived in London and headed to Westminster Corridor to view the Queen’s coffin as she lay in state.
John Sibley-WPA Pool/Getty Photos
Queen Mathilde wore a fairly spectacular diamond bow brooch for the event. The jewel, which appears to be like to be a nineteenth-century creation, contains a naturalistic diamond ribbon tied right into a bow. I like the motion of the piece, and the way in which that the makers have been capable of mimic the material folds of actual ribbon.
John Sibley-WPA Pool/Getty Photos
Mathilde paired the brooch together with her diamond and pearl marriage ceremony earrings. Initially, some guessed that this was the bow brooch from the gathering of the late Queen Fabiola, however the two jewels are fairly totally different. This seems to be Mathilde’s debut within the brooch, suggesting that it’s both a long-forgotten piece from deep within the Belgian royal vaults, or a more moderen acquisition or mortgage. Philippe and Mathilde have been recognized to borrow jewellery, however they’ve additionally bought items, together with antiques. (The diamond tiara acquired for the Duchess of Brabant is probably their most profitable buy thus far.) If I have been a betting girl, I’d wager that they purchased this diamond bow brooch at public sale as effectively.
Leon Neal/Getty Photos
And talking of auctions…! The Queen’s committal service at Windsor was attended by a variety of royals, a lot of whom have been there as authorities representatives or members of the Queen’s prolonged household. However there have been additionally further royals in attendance at St. George’s Chapel with different connections to the Queen. Princess Haya of Jordan (whose jewels we mentioned right here) and her uncle, Prince El Hassan, each have ties to the Queen by means of the equestrian world. And so do the 2 friends strolling beside them: Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani and his mom, Sheikha Amna bint Mohammed Al Thani.
Leon Neal/Getty Photos
The Al Thanis are a part of the bigger Qatari royal household: Sheikh Hamad is a primary cousin of the current Emir of Qatar. He’s additionally the CEO of QIPCO (the Qatar Funding & Tasks Growth Holding Firm). In 2014, QIPCO grew to become the primary industrial companion of Royal Ascot, reportedly with the blessing of the Queen herself. The sheikh additionally hosted the Queen at his London residence, the renovated Dudley Home in Park Lane.
The Al Thanis have important private holdings on the planet of racing, they usually’re additionally famend artwork collectors. Sheikh Hamad is the top of the the Al Thani Assortment, which is now displayed in galleries on the H^otel de la Marine in Paris. Jewels from the gathering have beforehand been exhibited all around the world, together with a 2016 exhibition on the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the opening of which was attended by the Prince of Wales. (The V&A additionally has a gallery named for Sheikha Amna, which homes Seventeenth- and 18th-century European artwork.)
Sotheby’s
It ought to come as no shock that such rich and avid collectors would have important items of historic jewellery of their private collections as effectively. It very a lot seems that Sheikha Amna wore an exceptionally particular brooch in Windsor on Monday: a nineteenth-century diamond bow brooch with Romanov roots. It was beforehand owned by Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (daughter of the famed Grand Duchess Vladimir) after which by her daughter, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.
Royal Assortment/Wikimedia Commons
Marina was pictured usually within the brooch for gala events. She even pinned it to her robe for the 1937 coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, her brother- and sister-in-law. Marina wore the diamond bow once more a number of years later for the coronation of her niece, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. After Marina’s demise, the brooch was bought by her youngsters, reportedly to assist pay demise duties, and purchased by the American collector Jayne Wrightsman.
Henry Nicholls-WPA Pool/Getty Photos
In December 2012, Wrightsman supplied a shocking assortment of her private jewellery on the market at Sotheby’s in New York. Among the many items auctioned was Marina’s diamond bow brooch. The identification of the purchaser on the 2012 public sale was not made public, however it very a lot seems that it was the Al Thanis (or somebody who subsequently bought it to the Al Thanis, presumably). Both approach, it’s attention-grabbing that the brooch apparently surfaced on such a outstanding event—although I do marvel what the Kents, in the event that they acknowledged the piece, maybe considered the looks.
