Queen Camilla Wears Queen Elizabeth’s "Sentimental" $53,000 Brooch to Vatican—And Her Dramatic Black Veil Has a Hidden Meaning
The Queen honored her late mother-in-law with a special piece of jewelry.
King Charles and Queen Camilla made history with their visit to the Vatican on Thursday, October 23, with The King becoming the first British monarch to pray with a pope in 500 years. Their Majesties met with Pope Leo for the first time during their historic visit, and Queen Camilla paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth with her sparkling brooch.
Shaped like a Georgian cross, the Raspberry Pip brooch is "a deeply sentimental piece from the royal vault," according to Maxwell Stone of U.K. jeweler Steven Stone. He adds that the brooch—a "combination of transparent topaz and sparkling diamonds" was part of the late Queen's private collection and "is believed to have been one of the late monarch’s favorites."
Queen Camilla debuted the piece for Christmas 2023, making her the first person to wear it in decades. Stone estimates the elegant brooch to be worth £40,000, or roughly $53,000.
The Queen wore Queen Elizabeth's Raspberry Pip brooch and a leaf-adorned Philip Treacy veil.
Queen Camilla and King Charles met Pope Leo for the first time on October 23.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are pictured with Pope John XXIII during their 1961 visit to the Vatican.
It's tradition for royal women to wear all black, including a black veil, for a formal audience with the pope, although a small group of Catholic princesses and queens—including Princess Charlene of Monaco and Queen Letizia of Spain—are given "il privilegio del bianco" or "the privilege of the white," meaning they can wear white instead.
Although Queen Camilla previously broke from tradition in beige when she met Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2017, she followed custom on Thursday in a classic black silk Fiona Clare dress. Queen Elizabeth wore a long black veil for her first audience with a pope in 1961, but instead of pairing her veil with a sparkling tiara like her late mother-in-law, Queen Camilla went for modern drama.
The Queen gave a nod to autumn with her striking headpiece, wearing a long Philip Treacy veil adorned with a crown of black leaves. The addition of leaves to her veil also holds a special meaning, as the prayer service Their Majesties attended was themed "Care for Creation," reflecting the passion for nature and environment causes shared by The King and Pope Leo.
