The first frame of Queen Camilla on US soil, landing with King Charles in Maryland for the historic state visit to the United States at the invitation of Donald Trump, featured the very elegant sovereign in pink with a brooch pinned to her overcoat. If royalty has taught us anything, particularly during historic times like these, it’s that jewelry often speaks volumes.
Indeed, the heirloom in question tells of the friendship between the two countries, the United Kingdom and the United States, a relationship that this trip is meant to reinforce as we celebrate 250 years of American independence.
The journey of King Charles and the Queen consort had been planned for some time, well before relations between the United Kingdom and the United States stiffened due to international tensions, compounded by the assassination attempt on Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. A state visit heralded by Buckingham Palace as “an opportunity to recognize the shared history of our two nations, the breadth of economic, security and cultural relations that have developed since then, and the deep people-to-people ties that unite the communities.” In short, the monarch, esteemed by Trump, is expected to do a fine job of diplomacy to mend the somewhat frayed relations between the two countries.
This includes the importance of gestures such as going to retrieve from the family casket a pin that reproduces the British and American flags together, as well as those that actually fly on the streets of Washington. Known as the Union Jack and Stars and Stripes brooch, the accessory in question dates back to 1957. It was the then mayor of New York, Robert F. Wagner Jr, who presented Queen Elizabeth II with the platinum jewel made by Cartier with rubies, sapphires and diamonds.
