Princess Anne is known for her thrifty no-nonsense styling and has become renowned for holding onto iconic staples. On Tuesday she cut a sophisticated monochrome figure as she was joined by King Charles at St James’s Palace for the annual Butler Trust Awards ceremony. The 74-year-old was spotted wearing a piece of jewellery that she’s owned for more than five decades.
The Princess Royal accessorised with a gold ribbon brooch that she first wore back in 1969. She paired this with a belted forest green dress that featured a sleek pleat with a pair of white and green patterned silk scarf. Anne often opts for sapphires and pearls but for the event, she chose a gold chain necklace, drop earrings and the dazzling brooch that she pinned to her garment.
Fine jewellery experts at UK retailer Steven Stone shared everything about the sparkling piece which is shaped like a knotted ribbon. Maxwell Stone from Steven Stone told Express.co.uk: “Princess Anne chose a particularly meaningful accessory for the ceremony – a brooch that has been a cherished part of her collection for over five decades.
“Designed in the shape of a loosely knotted ribbon, the gold brooch is adorned with diamonds and was first seen on Anne in February 1969 at Buckingham Palace when she met Colonel Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission.”
At the time, the princess was just 19 years old.
Mr Maxwell estimates the brooch is worth £33,000 and noted that Anne usually wears the brooch at daytime engagements.
He said: “She primarily reserves it for daytime engagements but has also worn it for notable evening occasions, including a visit to Washington, D.C., in November 2014, her official 70th birthday portrait in 2022, her trip to Uganda in October 2022, and a remembrance service at Southport War Memorial in October 2023. Anne often pairs the brooch with her iconic Grima Pearl earrings – another of her longest-serving jewellery staples.”
In recent years we have seen her sport it at the ANZAC Day service in 2015, and Royal Ascot in 2016.
As the late Queen’s only daughter, Anne is no stranger to wearing stunning jewellery and often rocks breathtaking pieces. However, she has also inherited her love of pearls.
In a touching tribute to her mother on Remembrance Sunday back in November, Princess Anne wore Queen Elizabeth’s three-strand pearl necklace, which Her Late Majesty wore almost every day of her seventy-year reign.