The poignant story behind the brooch Camilla wore to Prince Philip’s funeral

Duchess of Cornwall’s choice of brooch paid homage to Duke of Edinburgh

Olivia Petter
Sunday 18 April 2021 08:21 BST
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The Duchess of Cornwall made a special tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh at his funeral on Saturday with her choice of brooch.

Prince Philip’s funeral took place at 3pm in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and was attended by senior members of the royal family, including the Duke of Sussex.

For the occasion, Camilla wore a long black coat with a matching hat.

She paired the sombre outfit with a silver brooch known as the Rifles Brooch, which refers to her role as the Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifles, a ceremonial position in the infantry regiment of the British Army.

It’s a role that was transferred to Camilla from Prince Philip, who had been Colonel-in-Chief of successive Regiments that have made up The Rifles since 1953.

A ceremony was held at Windsor and Highgrove to mark the changeover in July 2020.

At Windsor Castle, the Duke was honoured for his 67 years of service in the role as four Buglers (members of The Rifles’ military band) sounded the “No More Parades” call to mark Prince Philip’s final outing as The Rifles’ Colonel-in-Chief.

Then, to welcome Camilla into the role, she was greeted by a Bugle call at Highgrove House and welcomed by the Regiment’s Colonel Commandant.

The brooch itself is made from sterling silver, which is in keeping with royal tradition to wear only colourless jewels while in mourning.

Both the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge abided by this tradition, wearing exclusively diamonds and pearls to the funeral on Saturday.

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