Princess Anne is renowned for her love of a well-chosen brooch. Far from being a simple style piece, each item of jewellery is specially selected to convey a deeper meaning and often nods to the event in some way. Whether it’s a national emblem or a more subtle nod to royal history, one thing is for certain: every brooch tells a story.

On Monday (9 March), Princess Anne joined The King and Queen as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales for a Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey. The Princess Royal stepped out in a bottle-green ensemble, paired with a co-ordinating hat and a familiar gold brooch.

london, england march 09: (embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time) princess anne, princess royal attends the annual commonwealth day service of celebration at westminster abbey on march 9, 2026 in london, england. delivered by the royal commonwealth society, the commonwealth day service of celebration brings together government representatives, young people and leading voices from the creative community to celebrate the commonwealth of nations, 56 independent member countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion people. (photo by max mumby/indigo/getty images)
Max Mumby/Indigo
london, england march 09: (embargoed for publication in uk newspapers until 24 hours after create date and time) princess anne, princess royal attends the annual commonwealth day service of celebration at westminster abbey on march 9, 2026 in london, england. delivered by the royal commonwealth society, the commonwealth day service of celebration brings together government representatives, young people and leading voices from the creative community to celebrate the commonwealth of nations, 56 independent member countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion people. (photo by max mumby/indigo/getty images)
Max Mumby/Indigo

‘Princess Anne’s brooch is something we see on her regularly,’ says royal expert and commentator, Victoria Howard. ‘A gold, rose-like flower with leaves all set with diamonds and a central pearl.’ As well as looking striking, the brooch has a more sentimental history and deeper family connection, says Victoria, which spans back to when Princess Anne was a teenager. ‘The brooch is believed to be a birthday gift during her teen years – perhaps 18th – from her parents or grandmother.’

princess anne with her fiancé, equestrian champion mark phillips in the grounds of buckingham palace in london, following the announcement of their engagement the previous day, uk, 30th may 1973. (photo by keystone/hulton archive/getty images)
Keystone
Princess Anne wearing the brooch in her engagement photos in the 1970s.

Not only is it a significant piece for Princess Anne for this reason, but also because she wore it for her engagement photographs back in 1973 with her first husband, Mark Phillips.

Princess Anne has since worn it to a number of other occasions, and now she has selected it for one of the first of the Commonwealth celebrations. Monday’s annual church service featured a congregation of 1,800 invited guests. It’s described as ‘the highlight of a week-long series of events and activities happening around the Commonwealth, including faith and civic gatherings, debates, school assemblies, flag-raising ceremonies and cultural events,’ by The Mirror.

london, england march 09: catherine, princess of wales attends the commonwealth day service at westminster abbey on march 09, 2026 in london, england. (photo by samir hussein/wireimage)
Samir Hussein


The Princess of Wales also arrived at the event with a sentimental piece of jewellery with a family connection – in her case, a pair of pearl earrings. The Bahrain pearl earrings belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II and are ‘a firm favourite, coming from pearls Elizabeth was gifted for her wedding,’ explains the Victoria. ‘The earrings are a perfect classical addition to a church outfit for such a service, as the length helps balance out the Princess’s wide-brimmed hat."