Queen Camilla turned to a historic brooch on February 23 as she attended Jamie’s Farm Charity Race Day at Plumpton Racecourse—and a jewelry expert tells Marie Claire that the piece embodies “resilience” amid Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's recent scandals.
Justin Daughters, Director of fine antique jewelers Berganza, says that Queen Camilla “leaned into over a century of royal sporting heritage” with her choice of the Minoru Brooch, a ruby, diamond and sapphire piece with ties to a royal horse from the early 1900s.
King Edward VII’s horse, Minoru, won the Epsom Derby in 1909, “making Edward the first reigning monarch to claim the prize while on the throne,” Daughters says. King Edward commissioned several pieces of jewelry to celebrate the win, including a circular brooch that’s part of the royal collection.
While Camilla’s pin is a horseshoe shape and not a circle, it features the same design with “diamond-set letters spelling ‘MINORU,’ punctuated by round-cut rubies and sapphires,” per Daughters.
The Queen has worn the horseshoe brooch to a number of races, and this time, she pinned it to a forest green wrap coat, accessorizing with a glamorous faux-fur trimmed hat, tall brown suede boots and a Dior tote bag.
Although the royals have not spoken out on Andrew's arrest since the original statement King Charles released last week, Daughters says that wearing pieces that tie into history is a way they can present visual "continuity."
“Jewelry has always been a way for the Royal Family to honor tradition without saying a word,” Daughers says. “By wearing a piece that embodies abundance and resilience, The Queen underscores continuity, allowing the heritage of the past to steady the narrative of the present.”
