Queen Mary’s Richmond Brooch consists of a “pierced and scrolled outline, pavé-set with brilliant, with a detachable oval pearl and brilliant centre, and a detachable pavé-set pearl pendant; with suspension loop at the top for use as a pendant, and with two loops at the bottom for additional pendants.”1
The brooch was given to the future Queen Mary by the town of Richmond to mark her wedding to the then Duke of York. Mary’s family had long resided at White Lodge in Richmond Park, and the brooch was a testament to their long connection.
She famously wore the brooch at the Devonshire House Ball in 1897 alongside the Kensington and Dorset Bow brooches. Queen Elizabeth II inherited the brooch in 1953 upon Queen Mary’s death. She wore the brooch occasionally, with and without the pearl. For example, she wore it at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018.
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