Queen Camilla Wears $10 Million, 185-Year-Old Brooch with a Meaningful Link to Princess Diana

As is nearly always the case, royal fashion has a deeper backstory than meets the naked eye. So was the case with a particular brooch Queen Camilla wore this week while in Italy with husband King Charles—a trip that also coincided with their landmark 20th wedding anniversary.

The $10 million brooch, it turns out, has a tie to none other than Princess Diana—but more on that in a moment. Per The Mirror, Camilla re-wore a blue silk crepe dress by one of her favorite designers, Fiona Clare, while visiting the Quirinale Palace—the official residence of Italy’s president—on April 8 as part of her four-day visit to the country with Charles. Accompanying the dress was a statement brooch dating back to 1840, originally given to Queen Victoria as a wedding night gift from her groom, Prince Albert. As such, the piece, commissioned from royal favorite Garrard, is called the Prince Albert Brooch, and the diamond and sapphire brooch was passed down from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth.

It also, interestingly, inspired the iconic engagement ring worn by Princess Diana during her lifetime, a ring that is now worn by her daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton.

Describing the brooch Camilla wore, Max Stone of Steven Stone jewelers said the piece “contains a large oval or cushion-shaped sapphire, which is at least 40 carats. The breathtaking gem is also surrounded by 12 large diamonds, which look to be around 12 carats. Due to the clarity and intense color of the sapphire, it was possibly sourced from Burma.”

Speaking of royal fashion having a deeper backstory than meets the naked eye, for her 20th anniversary portraits alongside Charles, Camilla wore a long sleeve white maxi dress by none other than her wedding gown designer, Anna Valentine. She accessorized with a Fabergé lily of the valley brooch, which Page Six reported represented eternal love and was once owned by the Queen Mother. She also wore her $64,000 wedding earrings—thought to have been gifted to her from Charles, according to Hello!—where a single round diamond sits in the center of a diamond cluster; the earrings also include a pearl drop.

“She first wore them on their wedding day, and while it’s never been publicly confirmed, it’s believed they were a gift from either King Charles or the late Queen Elizabeth," Lorel Diamond’s Laura Taylor told Hello!. “They are thought to be custom-made clip-ons, since Camilla doesn’t have her ears pierced.”

Camilla has worn the pair of earrings many times over the years, Taylor said: “It’s rare for bridal jewelry to become part of someone’s regular wardrobe, but Camilla has worn these earrings for everything from state visits to family occasions,” she said. “They’ve become part of her signature look. Wearing them again now feels like a subtle tribute to both her marriage and the journey she and Charles have shared.”

Camilla seems to be enjoying her visit, including a stop at the ancient Temple of Venus, which honors a goddess of love; per Hello!, the Queen told guests at a reception for the British-Italian community that she enjoyed “any excuse to be in Italy.”

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