Queen Elizabeth II was seen Monday during an outing in Chelsea wearing a rarely-seen diamond brooch that was given to her by her parents on her 19th birthday. It has only been seen a handful of times during her reign on the throne.
The 96-year-old head of the royal family made an appearance at the Chelsea Flower Show 2022 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The annual event had to be canceled and postponed over the last two years due to the pandemic, and this year’s show had a theme in honor of the queen as part of the continued celebration for the royal’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne.
It was there that the queen was seen wearing a bright pink button-up coat — and on the lapel of the jacket she wore the sapphire, ruby and diamond brooch depicting a bouquet of flowers, reported People magazine.
(Photo by PAUL GROVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The brooch, which was given to the queen on her 19th birthday by her parents — King George VI and Queen Elizabeth — has only been seen a few times during her reign.
According to Leslie Field’s “The Queen’s Jewels,” the gift from her parents included a matching pair of earrings in the shape of flowers, although the earrings have not been seen in many years, the outlet noted.
One such time was in a black-and-white photo of the member of the royal family holding her son, Prince Charles, who was an infant at the time, in 1949 for a portrait session at Buckingham Palace.
Another time was during the monarch’s trip to Australia when she attended the Floriade Flower Festival in October 2011 — where she wore a purple hat and outfit along with the brooch. The Daily Mail reported that was the last time — before Monday — that it was seen. Both photos can be seen here.
During the Chelsea event, the queen was driven around in a decorated golf cart to make “adjustments” for her “comfort.”
“Adjustments have been made for the Queen’s comfort,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said. (The Sun previously reported that the Queen was being ferried in a new battery-powered, luxury golf cart amid her ongoing mobility issues.)
The next event the monarch is scheduled to appear at is the annual Trooping the Colour on June 2 — which is also a part of her Platinum Jubilee.