Queen Elizabeth II , 94, was keeping her husband Prince Philip, 99, close to her heart during her latest public appearance. The monarch addressed the nation during her Commonwealth Day speech while the prince was still in the hospital after heart surgery on Mar. 7 and wore the same chrysanthemum brooch she wore on their honeymoon in Broadlands, Hampshire, The Express reported. The brooch is made of sapphires and diamonds set in platinum and she had it placed over the left side lapel of her blue jacket, which she wore with a matching skirt.
She also wore the classic pearls she often wears as she paid tribute to her husband and praised the global response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Queen’s brooch is also the same one she wore to celebrate her and Philip’s 60th and 73rd wedding anniversaries in the past. It can be seen in many of their honeymoon photographs, like the one below, in which they were partaking in the start of their post-wedding festivities during a procession at Waterloo Station in Nov. 1947. It’s because of these appearances that the beautiful piece has proven to be a significant symbol of their love.
During tonight’s address, The Queen was seen walking down an avenue of Commonwealth flags in St. George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, which is where her grandson Prince Harry and his bride Meghan Markle‘s wedding reception was held in 2018. The BBC programme was recorded to replace the usual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, which was cancelled due to COVID restrictions.
It was first announced the the Queen would be a part of the BBC event, despite her husband still recovering in a medical facility, in an official statement released on Mar. 5. Philip was admitted to the private King Edward VII Hospital in London last month as “a precautionary measure”, which was later revealed to be an infection, and was transferred to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital to undergo heart surgery on Wednesday. He returned to King Edward’s, where he currently remains, on Friday.
In addition to being held during Philip’s recovery, Queen Elizabeth’s Commonwealth Day speech was held just a few hours before Harry and Meghan’s highly anticipated CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey airs. In the interview, which is their first since they decided to “step down” from their royal duties and move to California last year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to talk about why they made the decision to leave England and the difficulties they encountered as part of the royal family since getting engaged and later getting married.