Style queen and Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Dame Anna Wintour, rocked up to Buckingham Palace accepting honours and wearing a royal necklace once belonging to King Charles’s great-grandmother, Queen Mary.
Anna Wintour, 75, was made a Companion of Honour by King Charles in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list for her services to fashion.
Donning her iconic sunglasses, the fashion guru arrived in a structured grey blazer and skirt with a simple white shirt underneath.
In a royal nod to the monarchy, she wore a statement necklace featuring giant amethysts which once belonged to Queen Mary.
On social media platform X, royal blogger, @Gertsroyals, writes: “Anna Wintour is wearing Queen Mary of UK’s Amethyst Necklace. The necklace was part of a set of amethyst jewels privately owned by the royals. It was sold sometime after Mary’s death and is now owned by Anna Wintour.”
According to The Royal Watcher, the design was part of a set including an amethyst tiara, earrings and a ring that was given to Queen Mary by Princess Catherine of Württemberg in 1898.
The necklace also has a bit of a mysterious history – as it was once sold at auction to an unknown buyer.
The Royal Watcherthen traced the parure to Sotheby’s Auction in Geneva, Switzerland, where it was sold for £55,357 in May 1993 and the style guru was once seen wearing the necklace at the V&A Museum in 2007.
Speaking of receiving her honour at Buckingham Palace, Anna Wintour said: “It’s wonderful to be back at Buckingham Palace, and I was completely surprised and overwhelmed to be given this great honour.”
The fashion queen said she and the King shared a chat about her work.
She explained: “The last time I was here, [Queen Elizabeth] gave me a medal, and we both agreed that we had been doing our job a very long time.
“This morning, His Majesty asked me if this meant I was going to stop working, and I said firmly, ‘No.’ “