The Royal Family has a treasure trove of historic personal jewels, from sentimental rings to heirloom diadems. Some of the most frequently worn pieces, however, are brooches, often favoured by the senior women of the Royal Family.
The Princess Royal, The Queen, The Princess of Wales and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh are often seen wearing brooches for official visits and occasions, and their choice is always significant. Each piece is selected carefully for the event, and usually provides a nod towards something specific – whether it’s the national emblem of a visited country, or a shape with a deeper or more symbolic inference.
Princess Anne’s most recent choice is perhaps an example of the latter, wearing a brooch in the shape of a Scout reef knot – pieces of tied ‘rope’ studded with precious stones. The brooch is made from gold and features a pair of rubies and two pearls. It is estimated to be worth around £4,000, according to expert jeweller Steven Stone. It also explains that the rope represents the ‘family of the World Scout Movement’ while the knot itself symbolises its ‘strength of the unity’.
Family, strength and unity are themes that may be poignant for Princess Anne and the extended Royal Family at the moment. It’s an undoubtably difficult chapter for the monarchy, in the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest (he denies all wrongdoing).
On the day of the arrest (19 February) The King released a statement saying, ‘the law must take its course’ and that he and his family ‘will continue in our duty and service to you all’. That same day, multiple members of the Royal Family – including Princess Anne – went ahead with their engagements as planned, and have continued to do so.
The Queen, for instance, was welcoming former US Vogue Editor-in-Chief Dame Anna Wintour to St James’ Palace, and wore a mysterious but particularly sombre black brooch. It was also the day of a funeral for a relative of the Royal Family, Princess Désirée of Sweden (Queen Victoria’s great-great-granddaughter), so it may be that this was the reason behind the choice rather than – or in addition to – it being a serious moment for the royals.
For her latest visit (25 February) when Princess Anne wore her reed knot brooch, she was at the American Geophysical Union Ocean Sciences Meeting, at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow.
