How Queen Camilla dug deep in the Palace jewel vaults for Royal Ascot: Her Majesty wore four rarely-seen brooches, including one given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert the night before their wedding!
Last week's Royal Ascot was notable for the heartwarming appearances of King Charles and other senior royals.
Even as he battles cancer, the King looked in his element alongside Camilla, who went on to arrive for day two with Prince William.
But it was the Queen's effort on the jewel front that caught my eye.
There were outings for four rarely-seen royal brooches - including the one that Queen Victoria was given by her beau Prince Albert the night before their wedding.
Day one - Prince Albert Brooch
It was a royal blue outfit for Camilla on day one of Royal Ascot, and she wore the Prince Albert Brooch
The brooch was given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert the night before their wedding in 1840. Above: Victoria depicted wearing the brooch on her wedding day
Tuesday saw Her Majesty arrive alongside her husband the King and the Duke and Duchess of Wellington.
Fittingly, it was the current Duke's ancestor who, in 1852, made the initial incision in the re-cutting of the famed Koh-i-Noor at Garrard & Co on Haymarket.
That now-controversial jewel was of course given to Queen Victoria.
Camilla honoured Victoria last week by wearing Prince Albert's brooch, which was given to her by the German prince the night before their wedding in 1840.
The Queen wore the sumptuous sapphire and diamond brooch piece on her white dress the next day.
In the new book Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time, V&A jewellery curator Helen Molesworth describes how Victoria later journalled that the large oblong sapphire surrounded by 12 round brilliant diamonds was 'Albert's beautiful sapphire brooch'.
Molesworth also adds that it was designated an 'heirloom of the crown'.
Queen Alexandra wore the brooch at her coronation alongside Victoria and Albert's son Edward VII in 1902.
It has subsequently been worn by Queen Mary, the Queen Mother and of course many times by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II in Saudi Arabia wearing The Prince Albert Brooch in 1979
Day two - Queen Mary's Turquoise Brooch
On day two of Royal Ascot, Camilla arrived with Prince William and the Earl and Countess of Halifax.
The beautiful brooch that she wore - one of my favourites - is a large turquoise cabochon surrounded by old mine cut diamonds.
Queen Camilla turned up with Prince William for day two of Royal Ascot wearing Queen Mary's Turquoise Brooch
George V and Mary of Teck in fancy dress at Devonshire House Ball in 1897. Mary was wearing the turquoise brooch under her pearl choker
Queen Elizabeth II wore Queen Mary's brooch for her national address in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020
It was given to the then Princess Mary of Teck as a wedding present in 1893 by her parents in law, the future King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
It is one of a pair that Mary received to complement a turquoise and diamond parure that her own parents gave her.
This set included the Teck Tiara, which is now part of the Duchess of Gloucester's collection.
Queen Elizabeth II wore Queen Mary's brooch for her national address in the depths of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020.
Camilla twinned the brooch at Royal Ascot with matching turquoise and diamond earrings.
Day three - Queen Mary's Ladies of India Brooch
For Ladies' Day last Thursday, Her Majesty was joined again by the King and the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire (the Duke had been the late Queen's Representative at Ascot from 1997 to 2011).
Queen Camilla wore a spectacular and rarely seen brooch that had also belonged to Queen Mary: The Ladies of India Brooch - a huge carved hexagonal emerald surrounded by diamonds, with four diamond accents to each side.
For Ladies' Day last Thursday, Her Majesty wore a spectacular and rarely seen brooch that had also belonged to Queen Mary: The Ladies of India Brooch
Queen Mary wearing the Durbar Emeralds presented to her by India following the Delhi Durbar ceremony in 1911
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Delhi carved emerald brooch that previously belonged to Queen Mary during a church service at the church of St Lawrence near the Sandringham estate in 2013
This was given to Queen Mary in 1911 by the 'ladies of India' to mark the Delhi Durbar - when King George V was 'crowned' Emperor of India and Mary, the Empress.
The beautiful Maharani of Patiala and a group of Indian ladies gifted the Empress -who had visited India in 1905 as Princess of Wales and had fallen in love with the - with this carved emerald and an emerald and diamond necklace.
She wore the brooch with the Delhi Durbar Tiara at Delhi's Red Fort, above the parure's stomacher, and below the Cullinan IV.
Queen Mary later wrote to the committee of ladies saying how she would always remember and think of India when wearing the jewel.
Large emeralds are often engraved, and this one has a rose on the front side with floral design on the reverse.
It was left to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 on her grandmother's death.
Day Four - The Jardine Star Brooch
On Friday, Queen Camilla arrived with the King wearing her late mother-in-law's Jardine Star brooch.
On Friday, Queen Camilla arrived with the King wearing her late mother-in-law's Jardine Star brooch
The brooch was given to Her Majesty in 1981, though its provenance remains a mystery. Above: The Queen wearing the brooch at Royal Ascot in 2019
The brooch was given to Her Majesty in 1981, though its provenance remains a mystery.
Commentators speculated over who 'Lady Jardine' might have been.
The brooch itself is late-nineteenth century in design with seven round diamonds pavé set along each of the star's eight rays.
Collet-set diamonds on a knife-wire shoot out from the centre of the star between each of the rays.
There is a large round brilliant diamond in the centre of the star, raised up on a border of eight smaller round diamonds.
Day Five - Five strand Pearl Choker
For the fifth and final day of Royal Ascot Queen Camilla gave both brooches and the palace vaults a miss.
Camilla gave brooches a miss on the last day and wore a five strand pearl choker with spectacular pink topaz from her personal collection
She stunned in her own spectacular five-strand pearl choker with a pink topaz and diamond clasp.
She paired the piece with pink topaz and diamond earrings.
Both were bought by the then Prince of Wales for Camilla in 2000 from Sotheby's - and have been one of her most favourite personal jewels.
Josie Goodbody interviews Helen Molesworth about her book Precious: The History and Mystery of Gems Across Time at the Chalke History Festival this Wednesday, June 26.
