Every year, on the second Monday of March, the United Kingdom solemnly remembers its union with the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Nations that brings together 56 countries and nations into which the already forgotten British Empire was reconverted.
He does it with a religious service (not exactly a mass) at Westminster Abbey in London, attended by the most important members of the British royal family.
And this has been the first year in seven decades in which Elizabeth II has not been present (both in the abbey and through a message, as she did in her last years when her health was already delicate).
In fact, the brand new King Carlos wanted to remember his mother – who died six months ago, on September 8, at the age of 96 – in his speech.
"Commonwealth Day was a particularly proud occasion for my beloved mother, the late Queen, a golden opportunity to celebrate her Commonwealth family, to whose service she dedicated her long and remarkable life," the current monarch said. this union that brings together 2,500 million people.
“I draw great strength from her example, along with everything I've learned from the amazing people I've met across the Commonwealth over the years.
It has been a constant in my life and its diversity continues to amaze and inspire me.”
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The hidden messages that Queen Elizabeth II reveals with her brooches
Every March, the occasion is festive, yet solemn.
The royal family shows its best clothes for that moment, especially prominent in British society and the press —the one in 2020 is especially remembered, the last act in which Henry of England and Meghan Markle appeared before leaving the Windsors behind.
And this year, the first of Carlos and Camila as kings and of Guillermo and Catalina as heirs, they have brought out the heavy artillery.
Especially the women of the family, with more capacity to play in their stylistic bets and who have sent messages with, above all, the jewels they have worn.
Kings Carlos and Camila;
William and Kate, Princes of Wales;
and Edward and Sofia, Dukes of Edinburgh, at a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London on March 13, 2023. Hannah McKay (AP)
Queen Camilla has dressed in blue, with a long buttoned coat with some flare, by London-based designer Fiona Clare, and a matching feathered headdress by Philip Treacy, which she had to fasten at the entrance to the service, since, with the wind, it was blown away.
But the most striking thing about her outfit was the jewelry, and especially the big brooch that she wore on her lapel.
Round, its complement was composed of a large central sapphire of a deep blue color, surrounded by a row of gold and, on its outer edge, by another row of 18 diamonds.
The brooch belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it on numerous occasions (such as for a visit with Pope Francis in 2014, for example, or at various state banquets and Order of the Garter ceremonies).
Before, it belonged to the Queen Mother and, even before that, to Queen María, who bought it in the mid-thirties of the last century.
At the end of the 19th century, it was part of the jewelery box of the Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Tsar Nicholas II and sister of Queen Alexandra (married to George V and therefore consort of the United Kingdom).
Hence, it is often known as the Russian sapphire cluster brooch.
As explained by the British jeweler Maxwell Stone to the American media
Page Six
, the jewel would be worth around 640,000 euros.
Queen Camilla, in Westminster Abbey for Commonwealth Day, March 13, 2023. ADRIAN DENNIS (AFP)
For Kate Middleton it was also a special occasion and the now Princess of Wales made it known.
If in most of the previous celebrations of this event she had come with a
look
similar to that of her mother-in-law —a monocolor mid-calf coat and matching medium headdress—, this time she decided to break her own tradition and add more sophistication to the matter.
She dispensed with the coat and opted for an elegant navy blue two-piece suit with a floral print from the British firm Erdem.
The ensemble of low-cut ,
peplum
jacket and long, narrow skirt have been highly praised among British chroniclers, as has her large blue hat.
Catherine of Wales arriving at Westminster Abbey for a Commonwealth Day service on March 13, 2023. Frank Augstein (AP)
The Princess of Wales wore her engagement ring, the one that belonged to Princess Diana, and matching diamond and sapphire earrings, which she often wears.
But she also highlighted the brooch that she wore on her lapel.
It is a piece from 1863, a gift to Princess Alexandra of Denmark from the women of Wales when she married Edward VII.
The brooch, therefore, stages the coat of arms of Wales, with three feathers coming out of a crown, as it has been established since the 14th century.
It is also made up of 18 diamonds arranged in a circle that enclose said shield, also made up of diamonds, as well as rubies and emeralds (which can be hung from it, in the form of a drop) representing the flag of this nation.
It can be used both as a brooch and as a pendant on a chain.
The piece has been worn by the different princesses of Wales, the wives of the heir to the crown, from Princess Diana (who wore it in 1981 and 1986) to Queen Camila today.
In fact, Kate
debuted
it in her role in November 2022, when she wore it with a dangling emerald during South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the UK in the autumn.
