Queen Mother’s Sapphire Brooch | The Royal Watcher


Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, who died on this day in 2002! The Scottish Aristocrat who unexpectedly became the popular wartime Queen and then the beloved Queen Mother for half a century, we have featured many of her jewels over the years and to mark the day today, we are featuring the Queen Mother’s Sapphire Brooch!

Crown | Greville Tiara | Oriental Circlet Tiara | Delhi Durbar Tiara | Fringe Tiara | Turquoise Parure | Lotus Flower Tiara | Strathmore Rose Tiara | Cartier Halo Tiara | Teck Crescent Tiara | Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara | Teck Diamond Hoop Necklace | Queen Adelaide’s FringeQueen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace |  The Queen Mother’s Tiaras

When the Duke of York married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, the bride received several spectacular jewels from members of both families, including the necklace with became the Lotus Flower Tiara and the Teck Flower Brooch from the groom, a Turquoise Parure from the King, and the the Strathmore Rose Tiara from her parents. Queen Mary gave a suite of sapphire and diamond jewels to her new daughter-in-law, consisting of a fringe necklace, a large corsage brooch, two smaller brooches, a bracelet and a ring. While the necklace was never publicly worn and likely became the Sapphire Fringe Earrings, the Sapphire Corsage Brooch remained a lifelong favourite.

While the Sapphire Brooch was not suited to the styles of the 1920s, by the 1930s, it began to be worn by the then Duchess of York for evening events, most notably with her Art Deco Bracelet Bandeau for a Red Cross Gala in 1933 and with the Strathmore Rose Tiara for the Royal Variety Performance in 1935. 

While it was not worn much after the Accession of the Duke to the Throne in 1936, or during the Second World War, the Sapphire Brooch reappeared in the late 1940s and was worn for several daytime engagements, including Trooping the Colour in 1951, as well as for a notable series of portraits with the King taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1951.

The Sapphire Brooch continued to be a favourite after the passing of the King in 1952, being worn for a plethora of daytime events, including a visit to Paris in 1956, as well as several appearances at the Races and at Garden Parties. 

The Queen Mother continued to wear her Sapphire Corsage Brooch into the latter decades of her life, with notable appearances for her 80th Birthday in 1980, the Christening of Prince William in 1982 and the Wedding of Duke of York in 1986, as well as several appearances at Parades, Trooping the Colour, and her annual Birthday Appearances. 

After the Queen Mother’s passing in 2002, the Sapphire Brooch, like all of her other jewels, were inherited by her daughter, the Queen, though it was never publicly worn nor loaned to other members of the Royal Family. With Queen Camilla debuting heirloom sapphires like the Belgian Sapphire Tiara, the King George VI Sapphire Suite, and Queen Mary’s Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch, let’s hope this splendid heirloom makes a reappearance soon.

Crown | Greville Tiara | Oriental Circlet Tiara | Delhi Durbar Tiara | Fringe Tiara | Turquoise Parure | Lotus Flower Tiara | Strathmore Rose Tiara | Cartier Halo Tiara | Teck Crescent Tiara | Aquamarine Pine Flower Tiara | Teck Diamond Hoop Necklace | Queen Adelaide’s FringeCoronation Rivière | Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace | Greville Festoon Necklace | Greville Emerald Necklace | Teck Flower Brooch | Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Brooch | Queen Victoria’s 11 Pearl Brooch | Queen Adelaide’s Diamond BroochIrish Guards Brooch | Sapphire Fringe Earrings | Sapphire Brooch | Maple Leaf Brooch | Queen Victoria’s Fringe Brooch | Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch | Diamond Sunburst Brooch | The Queen Mother’s Tiaras | Queen Mother’s Birthdays

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