The significance of the pearl jewellery chosen by the Queen, Camilla, Kate and Princess Anne at Prince Philip's funeral
The Duchess of Cornwall has shown her dedication to Prince Philip by wearing a piece of jewellery with strong links to the duke's life of service.
Camilla, along with Her Majesty the Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Princess Royal, wore jewels featuring pearls and diamonds.
Pearls have long been a key part of the royal mourning dress code, stretching back to the Victorian era when pearls were used to represent tears.
READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth sits alone during the funeral of her husband Prince Philip wearing family brooch
The Duchess of Cornwall waits for the arrival of the coffin of Prince Philip. Getty
Camilla wore a pair of pearl earrings and the Brooch of the Rifles, representing her role as Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles, the largest infantry Regiment in the British Army.
Her father-in-law transferred the role to her in July 2020. The Duke of Edinburgh previously held the title for nearly seven decades.
Camilla, 73, officially took over the role in July, during separate socially-distanced transfer ceremonies.
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Prince Philip was at Windsor while Camilla was at Highgrove House, both ceremonies being held that way due to the first wave of coronavirus lockdowns in the UK.
The transfer of the honorary role came three years after the duke officially retired from public life in August 2017.
Queen Elizabeth wears the Richmond Brooch to the funeral of her husband. Getty
His appearance at Windsor Castle for the transfer ceremony was a brief return to the spotlight for the duke, who had been in isolation with the Queen at Windsor.
Soon after, a new portrait of Camilla was released showing the duchess wearing the brooch commissioned by The Rifles.
The silver Bugle Horn is central to the heritage of the Regiment and every Rifleman wears a silver bugle as their cap badge.
Camilla was officially presented with the brooch, made up of diamonds and two emeralds, by General Sir Patrick Sanders, Colonel Commandant of The Rifles, at Clarence House, on October 12.
The Duchess of Cambridge during the funeral of Prince Philip, wearing the Queen's necklace and pearl earrings. WPA Pool/Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II also chose a piece of jewellery that carried a lot of meaning for her husband's funeral.
Her Majesty wore the Richmond brooch, inherited from her grandmother Queen Mary. The large and ornate diamond brooch features a pearl in its centre.
The Queen wore the Richmond Brooch pinned to her black coat, its hanging pearl drop removed.
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The piece of jewellery has been a regular in the Queen's royal wardrobe, choosing it for the opening of New South Wales parliament in 1954, on her very first tour to Australia with the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Richmond brooch was also chosen to accompany Her Majesty's royal tour wardrobe in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee visit to New Zealand.
Princess Anne wearing a pair of pearl earrings gifted to her by her parents. WPA Pool/Getty Images
And recently, the Richmond brooch was worn by the Queen at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in 2018.
Her Majesty also wore a pair of pearl and diamond studs and a three-strand pearl necklace, one of her most-loved pieces.
Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, wore a necklace borrowed from the collection of Queen Elizabeth.
The duchess chose the Japanese four-row pearl choker with diamond clasp, which forms part of Queen Elizabeth's royal collection.
It was made by Garrard from pearls gifted to Her Majesty by the Japanese government in the 1970s. It features four rows of pearls and a statement diamond clasp.
It was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1982 during a State Banquet at Hampton Court Palace, during the visit of Queen Beatrix from the Netherlands.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore the piece in 2017, for a party celebrating the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II looks on as she sits alone in St. Georges Chapel during the funeral of Prince Philip, the man who had been by her side for 73 years, at Windsor Castle, Windsor, England, Saturday April 17, 2021. Prince Philip died April 9 at the age of 99 after 73 years of marriage to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. (Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP) AP
Kate also wore the Queen's Bahrain pearl and diamond drop earrings, which she has borrowed for several formal events, including the Remembrance Sunday service in 2017.
The earrings were also worn by Princess Diana during her lifetime.
Princess Anne also wore pearls, in the form of earrings set in yellow gold by British jeweller Andrew Grima. The earrings were reportedly a birthday present from her parents.
The Duke of Edinburgh was an admirer of Grima's designs and awarded the jeweller the Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design in 1966.
Later that year Prince Philip gifted his wife a yellow gold, ruby and diamond Scarab brooch by Grima.
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