Queen Elizabeth addressed the British nation in a rare TV broadcast on Sunday, April 5, to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. For the monumental occasion, she wore a bright green frock and a matching brooch — but there’s a lot more behind the ensemble than originally meets the eye.
The monarch has quite an extensive collection of brooches, from the sapphire Prince Albert to the diamond and pearl Richmond. However, the piece she chose for Sunday night’s affair held extra special meaning.
A piece from the monarch’s grandmother, Queen Mary, according to Harper’s Bazaar Australia, experts claim the turquoise and diamond bauble was chosen due to the blue stone’s association with love, protection, an emotional balance and enhanced leadership powers.
First spotted on Her Majesty in 2014, the item was originally owned by Queen Mary, who was a legendary jewelry collector. She received it in 1893 the day she married the Duke of York, the future King George V.
Town and Country also noted a few other significant meanings behind the accessory’s history. This brooch could have been chosen in order to call back to what her family and country has overcome. The publication also noted that she could be linking herself to her grandmother who supported her husband during WWI. Then again, it could also just have been the right styling choice made by her longtime personal dresser, Angela Kelly.
Queen Elizabeth’s speech Sunday night was strong and somber, as she thanked medical professionals and stressed the importance of social distancing.
“I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time,” she said. “A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all. Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.”
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