Next week, the Duchess of Kent will be celebrating her 90th Birthday! The Baronet’s daughter who married the late Queen’s first cousin and was a working royal for over 40 years before retiring from royal duties, the Duchess possessed some spectacular heirloom Jewels, many of which we have featured over the years, though we reserved some special heirlooms for her 90th Birthday, continuing our series by featuring Queen Victoria’s Gold Brooch!
Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara | Cambridge Sapphire Parure | Aquamarine Tiara | Diamond and Pearl Suite | Pearl Earrings | Art Deco Brooch | Girandole Earrings | Diamond Flower Suite | Queen Victoria’s Gold Brooch | Empress Maria Feodrovna’s Sapphire Brooch | Princess Marina’s Black Pearl Brooch | The Duchess of Kent’s Tiaras | The Jewels of the Duchess of Kent | 90 Facts about the Duchess of Kent
A striking carved gold brooch, on top of which is a silver or enamelled cross, with a large central pearl and other pearl on the pendant, the provenance of the Brooch is unknown but it was likely acquired by Queen Victoria herself, and notably worn for the Christening of her granddaughter, the future Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden, in 1882 and the Christening o her great-grandson, the future Earl Mountbatten of Burma, in 1900.
After Queen Victoria’s death, the Gold brooch as likely inherited by her daughter, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, who left most of her jewels to Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, who in turn, left this brooch to her elder son, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. The Duchess publicly wore the Brooch for the first time in decades in 1973, when she met the people of Grosmont before opening the 18-mile Grosmont-Pickering line, and in 1977, it was worn for a visit to the King Edward VII Hospital in London.
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While not a favourite like most her Art Deco Brooch, or Princess Marina’s Black Pearl Brooch, Queen Victoria’s Gold Brooch was worn sparingly, with a notable appearance at the Funeral of Cardinal Basil Hume, Head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, at Westminster Cathedral in 1999.
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The Duke and Duchess of Kent hit financial difficulties in the 1990s and several royal heirlooms were sold, including the Cambridge Sapphire Parure and Princess Marina’s Girandole Earrings, though Queen Victoria’s Gold Brooch was among the few jewels they retained, worn most notably for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service in 2012. Lets hope we continue to see this specular royal jewel worn for years to come!
Pearl and Diamond Fringe Tiara | Cambridge Sapphire Parure | Aquamarine Tiara | Diamond and Pearl Suite | Pearl Earrings | Art Deco Brooch | Girandole Earrings | Diamond Flower Suite | Queen Victoria’s Gold Brooch | Empress Maria Feodrovna’s Sapphire Brooch | Princess Marina’s Black Pearl Brooch | The Duchess of Kent’s Tiaras | The Jewels of the Duchess of Kent | 90 Facts about the Duchess of Kent
