Symbolism abounds this week during the Platinum Jubilee. The jewellery on display is no exception and no one does messaging through jewels better than the Queen herself.
For Trooping the Colour, a ceremony steeping in tradition, Queen Elizabeth led the way by wearing her Brigade of Guards brooch. Worn for every Trooping since 1987, except three, this could be the Queen’s way of telling everyone she is pleased to see the pomp and circumstance return for this annual event and that the world is on the path to a return to normalcy.
The Brigade of Guards diamond brooch encompasses the badges of the five regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies: Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards. Each regiment rotates yearly trooping their colour. The Latin phrase, “Quinque Juncta In Uno” (“five joined as one”) is in the oval surrounding the badges. A crown is placed atop the oval.
There are two possibilities to the origin of this brooch. Queen Mary, the Queen’s grandmother, had a similar brooch and it is possible Queen Elizabeth inherited it from her. The other origin story could stem back to the 19th century. In 1863, the officers of the Brigade of Guards gave Queen Alexandra a diamond badge at a ball they were hosting. Queen Alexandra is Queen Elizabeth’s great grandmother. It is plausible that this brooch was passed down through the generations and The Queen wears this family heirloom in her role as Head of the Armed Forces.
Leave it to Queen Elizabeth to introduce a new piece of jewelry for an event that has never happened before. At the Beacon Lighting Ceremony at Windsor Castle, Her Majesty wore the Platinum Jubilee Brooch. Gifted by the Goldsmiths’ Company, the new wreath-shaped brooch is full of symbolism. The nations of the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are represented by four diamond swirls. Their national flowers, rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock, are also included. In addition, lily of the valley, is included as it is thought to be Queen Elizabeth’s favourite flower. Since it is the Platinum Jubilee, it is believed that this new brooch is made of platinum.
