Throughout history, women have not always been allowed to freely speak their minds, and this is still true in certain parts of the world or depending on the position you hold. The Queen of England for instance, cannot talk publicly about her political beliefs. So, in this case, the Queen’s brooch has the microphone. Exactly, Queen Elizabeth II has been known to get her messages across thanks to the brooches she wears. A subtle yet very effective way to send messages to all those who pay attention.
During President Trump’s state visit to the Queen, much has been said about the American President’s manners or better said; lack of manners. Many cried “outrage!” at seeing him walk in front of the 92-year-sovereign, getting in her way and almost ignoring her. He was also being late for tea, making the Queen wait for him. We couldn’t help noticing his general lack of elegance, walking around in his unbuttoned and creased jacket – not to mention the dinner in long-tail.
But despite all of Trump’s faux-pas, what really stroke us were the Queen’s brooch selection.
Queen Elizabeth almost always wears brooches and they always have a special significance. Look for example at the “Love Knot Brooch” she wore at Prince William and Catherine’s wedding. At Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding, the queen chose the stunning Richmond Brooch from the collection she inherited from Queen Mary. This brooch is a detachable part of the Queen Mary Bandeau, the tiara Meghan Markle wore that day, so the bride and the Queen were basically wearing two parts of the same jewel. Almost like besties, now how cute is that?
The Queen’s brooch is chosen according to each occasion. When receiving a Head-of-State, as a nice homage, she usually wears jewellery she has been given from that specific country. So as usual, for the Trumps’ state visit, Queen Elizabeth wore a brooch that was a gift from Americans. How thoughtful of this lovely little old lady, you might think. But wait; the rather simple pin in question was a personal present from the Obamas to the Queen as a sign of their friendship, it wasn’t a state gift!
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
This alone was a powerful enough blow, but the Queen wasn’t done yet. On the second day, she wore for the first time the Sapphire Jubilee Brooch, an amazing diamond and Canadian sapphire brooch in the shape of a snowflake given by Canada. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been strongly criticised by Donald Trump lately. For the cherry on the cake; on the last day of Trump’s visit, the Queen donned the same brooch her mother, the Queen Mother, wore to the state funeral of King George, Queen Elizabeth’s father!
We will never know for a fact, whether the Queen was trolling President Trump or not, but as the Italians say: “se non è vero, è ben trovato. “
All the photos are by commons wikimedia