Queen Camilla’s £64,000 jewels carried a poignant tribute to Queen Elizabeth (Image: Getty)
Queen Camilla stepped out alongside King Charles at St James’s Palace yesterday for the ceremony marking the Queen Elizabeth II Prize for Education. She chose a striking royal blue ensemble – a colour long associated with duty and royal tradition, yet it was her glittering diamond jewels that quietly drew attention, carrying deep significance linked to the late monarch.
For the ceremony celebrating excellence in education, an initiative named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla’s, 76, sartorial choices felt particularly considered. Her elegant blue coat dress offered an elegant understated silhouette, allowing the historic jewels to take centre stage. With every movement, the diamonds caught the light, lending a sense of quiet ceremony to the occasion.
The jewels in question were the historic Ivy Leaf diamond clips, originally commissioned by Cartier and once owned by society hostess Dame Margaret Greville. According to reports, the historic pair, which has been part of the Royal Family’s jewellery collection for more than hald a century, is valued at around £64,000.
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Queen Camilla sported a royal blue dress along with the glittering dimaonds (Image: Getty)
Known for her extraordinary jewellery collection, Greville bequeathed many of her most important pieces to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1942, ensuring they would remain within royal hands.
The clips took on further significance when the Queen Mother later presented them to her daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth II, as a 21st birthday gift during her 1947 tour of South Africa, along with King VI
Over the decades, they became a familiar part of the late Queen’s jewellery rotation, worn both together and separately across a range of engagements.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla attended St James’s Palace (Image: Getty)
Queen Elizabeth II was known to style the clips in different ways, including wearing them on a collar and hat during a visit to the United States in 1951.
Their versatility allowed them to accompany her through changing fashion trends while retaining her infamous timeless appeal.
In more recent years, the late monarch continued to wear the diamond clips well into her final months. She was seen wearing them during her Platinum Jubilee year, including at an audience at Windsor Castle in May 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II wore the Ivy Clips on repeat during her 70 year reign (Image: Getty)
Earlier that year, she was also photographed wearing the pieces at Sandringham House in February as she marked the 70th anniversary of her accession – a poignant reminder of their enduring place in her personal collection.
Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the jewels passed to Queen Camilla, who has since incorporated them into her own working wardrobe.
By choosing to wear the historic clips at an event celebrating education in the late Queen’s name, Camilla appeared to offer a quiet nod to continuity, honouring the legacy of a monarch whose decades of service shaped the institution she now helps support.
