After quite some time, Queen Camilla has debuted another Royal Heirloom and wore the Queen Mother’s iconic Cartier Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch for the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey today!
In 1938, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Cartier to create this striking Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch using diamonds from her personal collection, which depicts a curved paisley design that originated in Persia and India and also has ties to the Queen Mother’s native Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth began wearing the Cartier Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch in the late 1930s and it continued to be frequently worn during the Second World War and in the years afterwards.
The Queen Mother continued to wear the Cartier Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch in her widowhood, most notably in the iconic ‘Three Queens in Mourning’ photograph taken as the coffin of the late King arrived in London in 1952, with it remaining a regular favourite into her 100th year.
The Queen Mother retained the Cartier Palm Leaf Brooch until her death in 2002, when it was inherited by the late Queen, who began wearing it quite frequently for all sorts of events, like Christmas at Sandringham, Royal Tours and Services, and also regular Engagements.
In the last few years of her life, the late Queen wore the Cartier Diamond Palm Leaf Brooch for the Wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor in 2019, the NATO Reception at Buckingham Palace, and most prominently for her final visit to her beloved Royal Ascot in 2021.
The Queen Mother’s Cartier Palm Leaf Brooch was now debuted by Queen Camilla at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2026 and there is no doubt we will continue to see this magnificent Royal Heirloom for years to come!
I really like how the brooch stands out against the red outfit of the Queen.