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How the royals wore their love and respect at Prince Philip’s funeral
Chris Jackson / Getty The Queen has a brooch for every occasion – even for her husband’s funeral, Prince Philip. The queen’s mourning gowns, though a stark contrast to her usual pastel ensembles, have been accented with a special accessory that paid homage to her 73-year-old partner. According to Express, the Queen wore her Richmond brooch on Saturday. It is one of the largest in their collection, the newspaper reported, and was a wedding present for her grandmother Queen Mary’s wedding in 1893. Usually, the queen wears the diamond pin with a pear-shaped pearl droplet hanging from it. But this feature was removed for the funeral. The sparkling accessory illuminated the queen’s all-black look and matched her face mask – also black, with a white border around the edges. The monarch sat alone by the funeral, which like so many others was reduced due to the pandemic. Prince Harry and Prince William reunite after Prince Philip’s funeral, where the Queen was sitting alone. But the queen wasn’t lonely in her statement jewelry. Kate Middleton also brought her own. It actually came from the Queen: The Duchess wore a four-strand pearl necklace borrowed from Elizabeth’s collection. Today it is reported that it was made from pearls given by the Japanese government. Princess Diana wore the choker to a dinner in 1982. Kate’s matching pearl earrings, protruding from under her black fascinator, were also from the Queen’s jewelry box. For the gloomy affair, the Duchess was able to sneak into a touch of glamor with her veil and Roland Mouret’s dress. A photographer caught Kate just before getting out of her vehicle and was staring straight into the camera’s lens. Such determined, face-to-face eye contact isn’t something the Duchess is known for, but her looks set the tone for a worthy, if very different, style of royal funeral. As previously reported, the royals did not wear military clothing. Following their father and grandfather’s coffin, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William and Prince Harry were all seen with medals, a compromise that came about after an internal debate in the royal family about the appropriate dress for Harry and Andrew Camilla Parker Bowles wore pearls and a brooch that was also significant. As Hello noted, it appeared in the so-called bugle brooch, with which Philip was honored as Colonel of the Rifles, an infantry regiment of the British Army. For his last public engagement last year, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away in his position with Camilla, who is his daughter-in-law. So it is a significant and symbolic jewelry choice for the day. Princess Eugenie, a new mother who named her young son after Philip, wore a net veil to the ceremony. It was similar to Kate, though Eugenie paired hers with an oversized black headband. Unlike the other women, Eugenie didn’t wear much jewelry other than a simple pair of earrings. However, according to the Daily Mail, she wore a rather trendy trench coat by Gabriela Hearst. Penny Brabourne, Countess Mountbatten, a close friend of Philip and fellow rider, was one of the 30 guests who were not a direct family member. (She is married to Philip’s godson Norton Knatchbull.) She wore a black pill hat and suit, and a crystal fern brooch. Of course, pregnant Meghan Markle couldn’t travel with Prince Harry from Los Angeles. She may not have been there in person – the former Duchess is said to have watched from home – but Meghan made sure that part of her was present. According to The Daily Mail, Meghan left a handwritten note on a wreath in the chapel. The royal family did not speak at the event. Emotions were expressed in a different way. Some of it was literal as Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, wiped away the tears in the chapel. Some of it was more symbolic, like the queen sitting alone saying goodbye to her husband. Or William and Harry chat after the ceremony, two estranged brothers brought together by grief. And a lot of it happened through fashion: little nodding to history and hand-me-downs that are the continuation of long-standing royal tradition. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside delves deeper into the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
